Chiphead II - Aftermath
by Late to the Party
Summary: One war ends and another begins. This report records and details the log of one of its most instrumental commanders.
1. — Report Begins —

Disclaimer: Author owns no rights, etc. All rights and characters (bar the unnamed protagonist) belong to Gas Powered Games.

* * *

— Report Begins —

:: Transmission attached ::

I submit this report to Coalition HQ, and await judgement. Contained within is a transcript of the events that occurred leading up to and after the Infinite War.

'X-Day'-September-3844, Earth

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

It was supposed to be over. The Infinite War had ended. I was there, I witnessed as my Princess took the first steps towards Ascension. The Way was spread. I was a traitor, a hero to none. I was despised, reviled. I was ready to die. I held the line and keyed in the command codes to fire Black Sun. Nothing prepared me for the aftermath, and nothing prepared me for what followed. In this log, I will attempt to explain my actions. A last record for what may be Earth's last days. My actions caused this…

They call themselves a name we cannot pronounce, so were codenamed the 'Seraphim'. Our most classified files say they were eradicated centuries ago, slain by xenophobic fanatics in the days of the old Earth Empire. It was they, these aliens, who first taught the Way to humanity, to those who became the Aeon Illuminate. This genocide triggered the Infinite War. Our history was wrong, so wrong.

The Seraphim humanity first found were exiles, banished from the Quantum Realm. There were more, so many more.

I did it. I caused it. I fired Black Sun. My Princess foresaw victory, but failed to foresee this. I understand now that QAI blocked her sight. It hid itself within the Quantum Gate Network, using the gates to spread its gaze. I should have foreseen this, should have foreseen this.

Black Sun. A secret project meant to end the war. Constructed by the UEF as a planet killer, Black Sun's primary function was to utilise the Quantum Gate Network, serving as a platform to deliver a payload to multiple targets simultaneously. From acquired schematics, QAI realised that Black Sun could be modified to broadcast data. However, no matter the payload, the energy consumption is massive, as is the output and residue. The Gates employ 'Quantum Tunnelling' to bore a tunnel between points in space. The UEF never told its soldiers what firing this weapon meant; they were desperate. Their scientists never appreciated what amplifying this effect meant. No one knew the Quantum Realm was inhabited, or that firing Black Sun would cause a permanent breech into our realm. The Gates had always controlled the tunnels. From this breech, this Quantum Rift, the Seraphim poured through. They purged all life on Earth. Black Sun was built to stop us; instead, it almost destroyed us. Our war had raged for a thousand years. It had to end, had to end.

The first of our kind, my Father, was born in the Earth year 2592. He created the Cybran, a human twinned with an A.I.. Symboint. Hundreds of thousands volunteered and held key roles. In exchange for funding, and to exercise control, the old empire demanded he create a loyalty programme in each A.I.. He founded a colony on the edge of the galaxy and removed the programme from the symbiont population. Even after it was clear we would not rise up and slaughter them in the night, they refused us independence. Instead, they sent a force to 'pacify' the colony. Our brethren rioted across the empire and the empire activated the loyalty programme. Along with his closest symbionts, my Father quit the empire and headed into the unknown regions of the galaxy. After the empire fell, the UEF continued this enslavement, denying our people freedom and using us in their war against the Illuminate. Billions of our kind were held captive. The Aeon saw us as abominations, 'cleansing' us by the million. For a thousand years, we hid in the shadows until we were strong enough to make a stand.

I was a sleeper, my Father's genetic composite, placed in the ranks of the UEF. The losses against the Illuminate had forced the UEF to incorporate symboints as their foot soldiers, and they believed the loyalty programming secure. We were taught another history, a different outlook. With the old empire in tatters, the remnants clung to order and reorganised themselves into the 'United Earth Federation', an old idea made new. Order, honour, loyalty, duty. We were proud to serve, proud to hold the line, proud to protect Earth. Security was tight, and transmission with dissidents, traitors and the enemy forbidden. Propaganda and lies would corrupt the hearts and minds of those who listened, as it already had done with the followers of the Way.

The Aeon called them 'Imperialists'; millions were lost on both sides, the civilians along with the military. Entire planets wiped clean. Hard-line expansion was the only route left as both sides struggled for dominance, for survival. The Illuminate gained the upper hand, and my Father could not delay further. With our people falling as the UEF fell, we were out of time.

With my genetic code masked, I was conscripted, graduated the Academy, and rose through the ranks under the command of Col. Zachary Arnold and General Samantha Clarke. Through covert communication with QAI, situations were engineered, intelligence gathered and given. My superiors never suspected my loyalty programming had been altered and my subdermal cerebral algorithms contained a virus. It was on Matar my Princess first spoke to me. The Way was not the cult we feared; even my Father did not understand what it meant. Its philosophy had been corrupted, and that corruption ran rife within the Illuminate. She told me of its true purpose, her voice within my mind. Her ancestor, Dr. Jane Burke and a few others had had their minds opened by the Seraphim exiles. The Seraphim were a race with emphatic feelings far beyond our own and the way a philosophy of harmony and peace. This connection to the Way shifted the perception of Dr. Burke and her team, transforming them. The result of this allowed her visions, and she saw the galaxy being torn apart by endless warfare. The Aeon Illuminate was formed to spread the Way to humanity and prevent war, but instead was used for revenge for the Seraphim exiles' genocide by the empire.

In that moment, I understood even what my Father had failed to understand. Rhianne Burke wished what we did: peace and freedom, but she could not contain the warmongers in her own ranks. She saw into my mind, and we both saw the same dream, the same desire. She was already aware of Black Sun, of the destruction it would bring for both our peoples. My brothers and sisters would never be free should the UEF succeed; Black Sun could not be allowed to fire. In her eyes, I was not the abomination the other Aeon saw; she saw I was not enslaved by the loyalty programme and she asked we work together to bring an end to the war. I pledged myself to her vision of peace, to the Way, and my mind was opened. I revealed QAI's discovery that Black Sun could be reconfigured and I felt her amazement and alarm. She asked for my trust, and we formed a new plan.

I became her Champion, choosing her even over my own Father. Together, we sought to stop the warmongers and put an end to the bloodshed. For that to happen, I had to conceal my allegiance and maintain my guise as a UEF soldier, a series of battlefield promotions seeing me a captain by then.

At the same time, she reached out to Col. Arnold, and faking his own death, he enlisted in her cause, serving under the command of Avatar-of-War Jaran Marxon, the war leader of the Illuminate.

Those involved began to move their final pieces into play. My Father's plan was twofold: the virus embedded deep within my cortex, the 'liberation matrix', the same virus he used to alter the loyalty programming, would be transmitted across the Quantum Gate Network via Black Sun, and the Gates reprogrammed to overload. My role was simple: I was to gain access to Black Sun and reconfigure its payload. Sleeper cells across Earth would rise up and distract the administration; if I failed, localised broadcasts would occur but it would not be enough to halt the Aeon. QAI predicted 'Quantum Wave Distortions', a wake that would prevent Gate travel for 4.8 years, long enough for us to rebuild. Each planet would be cut off, isolated, and the UEF unable to maintain its grip. Without access to central command, there could be no UEF, and without Gate travel, the Illuminate was restricted from its warring but only for a time.

For months, I had worked on modifying my armoured exoskeleton (ACU) systems, integrating Cybran functions into UEF foundations in a series of schematics that would override the UEF's 'recall' commands and shroud me from their sensors.

A series of strikes against key strategic installations and assassination of personnel ensured my rise to Major, but engineering my success within the UEF would mean nothing if the Aeon overwhelmed Earth. Father believed playing the UEF against the Aeon let us move unnoticed, but he had no way to stop the Aeon. Father's plan would merely pause the war, not end it.

Arnold landed on Earth and was joined by Marxon. As my former superior and mentor, Arnold and I served together; because of this, General Clarke assigned me to lead the defence and implement the final construction of Black Sun. If the Aeon overran Earth, we would be forced to deploy 'Option Zero'; we would never let them have the Earth. My loyalty, my competence, my skill in battle had convinced her and President Allen Riley that my duty was to the UEF. Captain Michelle Aiko was assigned to my command; I was a hero in her eyes and in the eyes of the UEF. I played my part, activating my ACU modifications and unleashing a virus that jammed Captain Aiko's armoured exoskeleton's logic array and paralysed her motor functions. I altered the payload to transmit the liberation matrix but not to destroy the Quantum Gate Network and using the recall function, called my Princess to me. While Avatar Marxon and Arnold marched on my position and my brothers Jericho and Mach assaulted their forces, my Princess integrated her consciousness with Black Sun's broadcast, throwing herself in.

Her voice spread across the Network. The war was over. A new war began.


	2. September-3844, Earth

'X-Day'-September-3844, Earth

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

Riley is dead. The Seraphim have razed Earth. QAI has betrayed us. The Quantum Network has fallen. Marxon and

Arnold are dead; Jericho and Mach are dead. We saw all of it. The first bombers; giant ships that darkened the skies with their numbers, and turned the air white with their wake.

My Princess was not present for Earth's fall; she saw them, saw them before they arrived. She warned me, commanded me to flee and take word to Crusader Rhiza. My Cybran-installed stealth systems concealed me from the Seraphim sensors as effectively as they had from the UEF's. I watched while they flew overhead, as everything around me burned. Telemetry poured in from the UEF's sensor stations and then the network went down.

Already heavily fortified, I had further secured Black Sun's position with numerous rings of defences in case my Princess was unsuccessful, in case Riley ordered 'Option Zero'. Allowing for redundancy, I ensured that the Shield Grid prevented cascade failure. If one failed, five more took its place, each supporting the other, connected to shielded generators. At any time, five sites could fail and the shields would still hold. Twelve layers of reinforced calcicrete wall encased every approach and missile battery installations. Mobile artillery and surface-to-air missiles were linked with stationary turrets.

One moment, the sun was shining and the next it was not. Aiko was helpless, still unable to move. I pulled her through the portal as I transmitted Black Sun's self-destruct codes and reactivated the defence grid. Our position was overrun in seconds.

In spite of his former crimes, Marxon heard the Princess' words. He and Arnold gave their lives trying to defend Earth. Mach and Jericho followed them. The Colonel contacted me before the end. Riley ordered 'Option Zero', but the surface infrastructure was annihilated, and Father's sleeper cells had already disabled many of the transmitters. The signal never reached Command. For a single moment, humanity fought as one.


	3. September-3844, Eridani

'X-Day+2'-September-3844, Eridani

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

My Princess has disappeared. She told me to trust her.

Aiko and I arrived on Eridani. Our only hope is if we work together. I cannot risk alerting the Seraphim to our presence; Father knows of what has occurred. Understandably, Aiko despises me and would have attempted to execute me on the spot had the circumstances been different. I am still her commanding officer, however. My trial and court-martial will have to wait. Our two ACUs' Quantum Commutation systems are now linked, and I have tried patching into the Aeon communications using the Illuminate frequencies my Princess has given me. Aiko has begun constructing a base of operations; one way or another, we will gain Crusader Rhiza's attention.

Neither of us can talk about what has occurred. Aiko heard my Princess' words along with every other human in the galaxy. I still believe she will make an excellent follower of the Way. There are other concerns on my mind. With Marxon's fall, what will happen to the Illuminate? Will they heed our Princess now the Seraphim they venerated so much have arrived? Of more immediate concern is the reception we will undoubtedly receive.

Our ACUs' memory banks are limited, and I fear the synthetic DNA storage may have been damaged in the wake of the Quantum distortion. My systems are running a full diagnostic, but that will take time and while we wait, we are vulnerable. Linking the two armours should boost signal strength, and our onboard fusion reactors should generate enough power to amplify the range. All available power has been rerouted, and all noncritical systems shut down. For this to work, I have had to disengage my stealth systems and weapons. Aiko understands only too well what this means; the Academy's section on survival in non-friendly territory was clear. If Col. Arnold were here, I know exactly what he'd say.

I hope that between our two memory banks, any digital template patterns can be reconstructed. This will have to suffice until such time we can re-establish with EarthCom… if any UEF outposts have survived. Until then, we're on our own.


	4. -September-3844, Eridani

'X-Day+4'-September-3844, Eridani

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

We found Crusader Rhiza. She already knew who I was. I had to order Aiko to stand down. Rhiza seemed vaguely amused, but showed us both respect. It's as if her voice is always smiling and filled with awe when she speaks of the Princess. She understands the gravity of the situation and has informed us that many of the Illuminate consider the Seraphim as gods. Armed with news of what happened to Earth, Arnold and Marxon, she has tried to warn them of the threat the Seraphim possess. Conversely, the high regard Marxon was held in should work in our favour.

I warned her of QAI's betrayal. She, like most of the Aeon consider QAI and the Cybran abominations, but she hasn't extended this to me. She led us to the Aeon colony on Eridani. Aiko was awed by its beauty. Graceful, elegant arches and domes, pillars, greenery. It was a vision of the calm the Princess had spoken of. This, too, would be razed in a cloud of white-blue-black-lightning if the Seraphim found us.

I think Aiko is beginning to understand a little more why I did what I did.


	5. October-3844, Eridani

'X-Day+21'-05-October-3844, Eridani

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

We have been monitoring communiqué. Crusader Rhiza has put us up, but we have been unable to establish long-range communication with Earth. There is a risk that our signal will be intercepted and our position compromised, however, protocol dictates that we obey the chain of command. We continue to try to reach any UEF outposts, but so far, the only few we've found are either deserted, without pilots, and the few with are subordinates. With no one else, I am still the ranking officer and I still have a duty despite my loyalties. I've yet to locate any Cybran colonies or sleeper cells. I fear QAI has overrun all Cybran settlements and spread through our people's cybernetic cortex as a virus.

Rhiza has instructed us in Illuminate's politics. It appears that an Evaluator, Kael, has been undermining the Princess for some time. The schism that started with Avatar Marxon has been fully realised; Kael has established the 'Order of the Illuminate', and Rhiza and the Princess have been branded as heretics. Our position is even more precarious than before. There are a few still loyal to the Princess. Most believe she is dead.

In spite of everything, I wish Col. Arnold were here. I know Aiko does too. I never thought I would end up as a guest in an Aeon stronghold. Crusader Eris spent time here. It seems a lifetime ago when we were met in battle. Rhiza tells me her family were slaughtered by the UEF. So much life lost. Aiko seems oddly quiet, but she still doesn't trust the Aeon. In spite of herself, and her anger towards me, I think she is slowly softening. I find myself wondering what Elite Commander Dostya would make of all of this. I have no doubt she has labelled me a traitor and will kill me if we ever see one another again.

[…]

After scouring our ACU memory banks and intelligence gathered by the Illuminate, I have been able to partially reconstruct our digital template patterns. Additionally, I have recovered a few of Father's schematics, embedded deep within my cortex. Rhiza has allowed me to interface with her systems, and I have updated and upgraded several key systems within my armour. This fusion has bred some interesting results. Would that I had time to study it further. I can hear Father's voice now. "We need more time, my child, more time."

The 'crysalis' is of particular interest: it augments and focuses the Aeon's beam weaponry. Its crystalline matrix seems to be a hybrid of human and Seraphim technology, adapted and developed over the past thousand years. I have mounted it on my armour and have modified it to focus the Microwave Laser. There are problems, but the crysalis' lens reduces dispersal while maintaining beam intensity. As a result, the range has almost doubled. The generators were not designed to sustain prolonged usage at such range, and consequently, are prone to depletion, overheating and eventual burnout. To compensate, I have upgraded the onboard liquid coolant systems, but at the expense of generating the stealth field. I will run tests to optimise the duration and integrity of the beam under battlefield conditions; it may be possible to regulate the generator and coolant to allow an extended beam while stealthed, but for now I must limit the Laser to bursts no more than a few seconds or risk a reactor overload.

The heavy cannon that my UEF ACU was equipped with is crude, but brutally efficient. It relies on anti-matter; I have yet to be able to correctly align and sufficiently modify the cannon to fit within an armour of Aeon design. Their exoskeletons are far sleeker than the UEF's, which are as blocky as ours are jagged. I have begun construction on a hybrid ACU, but balancing the technologies is proving elusive. I am months from a viable prototype. Would that I had Father's mind to assist me…


	6. 24-October-3844, Eridani

'X-Day+29'-24-October-3844, Eridani

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

Crusader Rhiza and the other 'loyalists' have begun a guerrilla war against the Order of the Illuminate. The Seraphim are slaughtering every human they can find, except those in the Order. It's started. We're killing each other again.

Aiko has said nothing, but both of us have considered building a second Black Sun; but that would only create a second Quantum Rift and the Gate Network is still under QAI's control. Our Gate travel is severely limited, and we only have access to Gates built with high level UEF and Aeon codes. Rhiza has prioritised decryption of QAI's Gate codes, but the most we have been able to do is piggyback a signal off the Quantum Communications. We have begun work on a backdoor, emulating the recall function, but transit will be patchy at best. Once QAI detects the exploit, whoever is on mission will surely be stranded but we have no choice. The best we can hope for is to mask our signatures as those belonging to the Order, and hope it will be overlooked in the mass of traffic.

Aiko still blames me for uploading QAI into the Gate Network.


	7. 19-November-3844, Eridani

'X-Day+44'-19-November-3844, Eridani

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

QAI has wiped out most of our remaining forces. We received word this morning. Our core worlds are barren rocks. The attacks were launched from Procyon… when our scouts got there, QAI's mainframe was gone.

[…]

On a personal note, I find there is a peace here, even with my fear, doubts and the war outside these walls. Aiko has been affected by it too. When she is not engaged in the war effort, she swims in the columned pools. Rhiza joins her sometimes, always in silence, though I do not. I see myself staring back from the waters' edge and I wonder what my Princess ever saw in me. Sometimes I think her people were right, that we are abominations. For so long, I have lived as an officer of the UEF, my identity suppressed, my allegiance torn between duty to my Father and serving my Princess. The synaptic implants along my skull seem jarring and ugly against the elegance of the domes and spires. I don't know if it's even possible to rebuild their architecture. The logic functions seem at odds with everything the Aeon believe but my humanity is more than just logic. I am not just a machine and unlike so many of my Cybran brethren, my body modifications are few. Rhiza has welcomed us, but my presence feels intrusive, as if I defile the still with my very being.

I wish things could be different. In the forty days since we first arrived here, in spite of my discomfort, I feel a sense of belonging, of home. It is more than just this place; it is the Way. I find myself drawn to the harmony, and I begin to understand the calm in my Princess' voice even when things seem at their darkest. I do not know if we can win, but even if we do not, I will always be grateful to her for showing me the light.


	8. 23-November-3844, Eridani

'X-Day+47'-23-November-3844, Eridani

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

There is no sign of Father. Rhiza reports there have been no sightings of him since Earth was bombed. If his history is anything to go by, I suspect Father has fled into the deepest regions of space but I cannot help but fear QAI has got to him.

Even if he is alive, he will resent me. As long as Elite Commander Dostya is with him, she will guard him with her life. There is no one I trust more to protect him.

Aiko looks at me often but says nothing. I don't know what she's thinking. I have organised the UEF elements we have encountered into what amounts to a militia and have adopted the same tactics of attrition as Rhiza's loyalists. When we encountered them, the UEF's soldiers were prepared to fight, preferring to die than surrender, but I ordered them to stand down. The shock of seeing a UEF ACU beside Aeon forces was enough to make them pause, and the UEF trains its soldiers to obey. They accepted my command without question, and I think a few of the junior ranks were grateful to have a high-ranking officer. I left the lone outposts intact, but once QAI accesses the UEF database, they will eventually be targeted. Relocation is a priority, but we do not have time to construct new facilities. Our resources are spread too thin.

Although they do not work together, there is a certain cohesion. Both supply intelligence, and we collate this and use it to pick our targets. Many blame the Aeon for this, and many blame the UEF. Both believe the Order are slaves to the Seraphim, and the only binding factor is their shared hatred. It runs white hot. I do not know how much longer I can control the UEF remnants; as it is, I wonder how long it will be before Aiko leads them in open munity. Victories are in short supply, and I fear it will only be a matter of time until our operations on Eridani are compromised. To that end, I have led from the front, hoping to inspire our forces. Despite the disgruntled mutters, a grudging respect seems to be building.

While we are able to repair our ACUs, with only a smattering of scattered bases, we have little in the way of reserves. To counter this, I am constructing drones programmed to establish fallback points and expand our mining operations, but we cannot allow our presence to be detected. Such 'Cybran tactics' are sneered at by some under my command, but most lack the heart. Still, such knowledge has served us well in the past, and a millennia spent in moving in the shadows may be what ultimately allows us to prevail.


	9. 15-March-3845, Eridani

'X-Day+172'-15-March-3845, Eridani

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

We have established contact with the UEF. With Riley dead, General William Hall has assumed joint command of all remaining UEF forces along with General Samantha Clarke.

I anticipate my impending trial and execution, though Rhiza would never allow it. I think she would fight a war with the UEF before handing me over. She considers me the Princess' Champion. There is an… unspoken understanding between us. She is most fervent and I admire her strength and courage. She has slowly been infiltrating the Order with a growing network of operatives; she cares as deeply for them as she does for the Princess' cause. I did not expect to see such a side to her. I remember the reports from her cleansing of Rigel back when I was a lieutenant. Col. Gart and Commander Berry both fell before her might. That same ferocity and steadfast dedication is displayed against our current enemies; if any question her integrity, that perhaps this is an Aeon trap, they have but to witness her. Both on and off the field, her unwavering belief in our Princess' cause steels me against despair. While she never voices it, Aiko admires her. I see it in her eyes, that quiet respect as she steps to one side for her. I'm not sure Aiko herself is aware of it.

It is strange, but I have noticed my voice has changed. There is an echo to it, a harmonic quality in place of a symbiont's metallic harshness. The reflection that stares back shows the eyes of an Aeon. My hair is longer, silver now, and my face is smooth. I can only attribute this to my devotion of the Way; Arnold had a similar appearance after Matar, though he was no symbiont. There seemed to be a calm impressed upon his features, his black hair turned white. The gnarled gruffness gone. I owe him so much.

After running a series of simulations, I have introduced Aeon nano-architecture into my occipital and parietal lobes and brainstem in an attempt to modify my Cybran augmentations. The synaptic implants that vein my temples pulse with white where they once glowed red.

Aiko retains her uniform while on duty, but it has been battered to the point she is forced into Aeon clothes beneath her jacket. Unlike Aiko, I have shed my uniform. Rhiza proudly presented me with a pilot's bodysuit bearing the Princess' crest, robes, and a long, sleeveless marble-white cloak. It looks similar to the one Marxon wore, though his was gold.

It's strange to look upon his image; neither Father nor the UEF ever was able to gain access to it. Marxon was recorded to have slain all who faced him, even those who surrendered. From the images I've seen, it's hard to imagine he was able to slaughter so many, but there is such strength there. Perhaps more disturbing is that my robes look identical to his, dark green and white, layered above the elbow with long arcs from the forearm. Is it my Princess' choice? Or is it standard issue for male Aeon commanders?

It says here Marxon was fifty-one when he died, and my Princess is twenty-eight this year. Rhiza's almost thirty. Col. Arnold would have been forty-eight.

I think it amuses her we have schematics for waging war, but not to replace fabric. Aiko has stitched her jackets as best she can, but nothing removes the scorch marks. I remember her look when I accepted the suit; the honour was not lost on either of us, Aiko least of all.

[…]

:: Encrypted Transmission ::

[Incoming]

[Clarke]: Major. It is good to see you again. Status report.

:: Encrypted Transmission ::

[Outgoing]

General, Captain Aiko and myself have been liaising with Crusader Rhiza. Transmitting all relevant intelligence and logs.

:: Encrypted Transmission ::

[Incoming]

[Hall]: Have to keep this one brief, Major. We're being pushed back on all sides. We need every good man we can get. Any sign of Princess Burke? None this end either.

[Hall]: We've an Op for you.

[…]

[Clarke]: Glad you're still with us, Captain. We're awarding you the rank of Major.

[…]

[Hall]: Patching through your orders now. Secure the old research facilities on Luthien. Find out if Station Lima Foxtrot is still standing and recover what you can. Sweeny's notes may hold the key to sealing the Rift caused by Black Sun. Get in and get out. Transmitting coordinates.

[Clarke]: You're hereby promoted. Congratulations.

[Hall]: We'll keep you apprised of any developments. Whatever it is you're doing out there, you're doing a damn fine job holding everyone together. EarthCom out.

[Clarke]: Keep up the good work, Colonel. We'll have more for you soon.

[…]

Aiko stared at me. I'm not sure which of us was more surprised. I don't know what she was expecting, but it wasn't this. They act as if nothing had happened… it shows just how dire the situation is, not that we needed any more proof.

We gate in thirty.

[…]

I was able to access and recover the datafiles. Lima Foxtrot and Luthien colony were in ruins, abandoned close to the end of the war. I had to partially reconstruct and repair the backup generators, but the old codes were still operational. Being there was strange. It was the place where I battled the Aeon Min… I remember engaging her. Her taunts, her ferocity, her contempt and hatred for all I represented. Col. Arnold was hours away, the Quantum Gates' malfunctioning due to Father's virus. Seeing the scorched husks and partial buildings amidst the snow… patching into the old system, standing there… it seemed like a lifetime ago.


	10. 09-April-3845, Eridani

'X-Day+196'-09-April-3845, Eridani

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

General Clarke contacted me. A coalition has been formed. Communication has been established with Father and the surviving Cybran. The "Coalition for the Mutual Defence and Security of Humanity", united under a single, unified command structure.

I told her of Col. Arnold's sacrifice, his last transmission. It brought a bittersweet smile that never touched her eyes. "Get the hell out of here, Rookie." An echo of his former self, before the Princess opened his eyes.


	11. 25-July-3845, Eridani

'X-Day+283'-25-July-3845, Eridani

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

Father and I have exchanged words. He is very extremely disillusioned, and unsurprisingly, Dostya holds me accountable for it. He sounds more tired than ever and I worry about his state of mind. In spite of this, I have convinced Clarke and Hall that Rhiza needs to be part of the Coalition, and Aiko, unexpectedly, has independently said the same. Dostya has seen the sense of this, and she too agrees, though she is mistrustful. However reluctantly, Father has agreed. We are once again united, as Marxon, Arnold, Mach and Jericho were. A new day has dawned.

[…]

Rhiza has agreed to the Coalition with the UEF and the Cybran provided I serve as liaison and all charges against me are dropped. General Clarke has agreed.

[…]

My research is progressing more quickly than I had hoped. With help from Rhiza's scientists, I have been able to synthesise my UEF ACU's schematics into an Aeon ACU's memory banks. This is encouraging, and proves my initial investigation is worth pursuing. My attempts to incorporate our stealth systems and UEF armour plating into a gutted Aeon ACU frame have been mixed. My earlier preliminary analysis revealed that the Aeon systems are more efficient than anything the UEF can produce, but this comes at the cost of balancing additional systems. Comparatively, UEF frames are heavier, but their bulk is awkward and less manoeuvrable, in spite of superior armour plating. This would not be an issue were it not for the nature of Quantum Tunnelling, and the old Empire's attempt at lowering operational costs. When this is over, we will have to rebuild the Quantum Gates. If I ever get the time, I will run a more detailed examination on the Gates, but for now, I am restricted by payload.

I know how much this project would interest Father, and while I have but to ask, I am concerned I am still seen as a traitor. While it is unfortunate I lack the schematics to construct a full ACU of Father's design, from the systems I already possess I have enough to jury-rig the housing required in the Aeon frame. The Aeon philosophy of single-purpose units is in direct contrast to the versatility my Father promotes. While further research is required, I believe that our systems can be interwoven, and space made for UEF armour plating. The trick will be reducing key components to Aeon thickness and rebuilding them from the ground up. Whether that is even possible is another matter.

All attempts at incorporating UEF armour on the Aeon frame have failed. The technologies are so different, despite their similarities, so different. Father's designs hold a few likenesses to UEF architecture, but he has adapted it so much over the past millennia integration is problematic. I may have to abandon the UEF components and focus on boosting Aeon armour. A comparison reads that without the crysalis, the UEF shields are fundamentally inferior to the Aeon's despite a greater surface coverage; however, intelligence reports indicate that the Seraphim shields are vastly superior to even those of the Illuminate. If I were to examine the Seraphim from the Rift's technology, I could analyse it to the artefacts left behind by those that taught the first Aeon the Way.

Another solution would be to strip away all engineering functions and incorporate the shoulder drones from my UEF armour. That might allow space for the anti-matter cannons, though it might be easier to abandon UEF technology entirely and focus on adapting the existing Aeon structure.

If my Princess were here, she would chide me and tell me to have patience. She would say I have already made great strides and I will overcome the incompatibility in time. That she has faith in me, her Champion, her Sword of the Way. I draw strength from this, but I fear it will not be long until they see use.


	12. 08-March-3846, Eridani

'X-Day+526'-08-March-3846, Eridani

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

The Coalition launched its first strike against the Seraphim. It was some of the most brutal fighting I have seen. Close-quarter and long range, we lost many good people but victory was ours. It was a chance to test the integrated systems prototype, but the stakes were too high and battlefield testing had to wait another day. However, unit cohesion and unity has never been higher. Seeing General Clarke and Crusader Rhiza side by side with Elite Commander Dostya joining them to encircle the foe? It was like the tales of Williamson's Bridge, where Commander Williamson stood against the first Aeon invasion during the last days of the Earth Empire. He stood as a symbol of hope and valour for the UEF; now we have old symbols made new, symbols for humanity. In the aftermath, there has been only one rallying call: "it's time we took back our galaxy."

Father has named me the 'tip of the spear'.


	13. 17-Feburary-3847, Capella

'X-Day+716'-17-Feburary-3847, Capella

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

It is a dark day. General Clarke was killed in action. General Hall has taken the full responsibilities of command. I… will miss her. Her strength, her skill, her courage. In spite of my allegiance to my Father, I admired her. Elite Commander Dostya recalled moments before Clarke fell, overwhelmed as they tried to defend a docked ship. I should have been there; I arrived too late. I am now certain it was a trap, and Rhiza has sworn that her death will not go unavenged. All feel her loss keenly, none more so than Aiko. She blames herself as much as she blames me. We were delayed on Orionis, gathering intelligence for our next strike against the Order. We were due to rendezvous… the Seraphim will pay for this, oh yes. For Clarke, for Arnold, for Marxon, for Mach, for Jericho, for all the fallen. Rhiza is right. Our fury grows day by day. There can be no mercy for those responsible.

Hall has announced that we will not mourn until this is over.


	14. 27-March-3847, Griffin IV

'X-Day+866'-27-March-3847, Griffin IV

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

We have begun construction on Fort Clarke, our new base of operations. From here, the Coalition will take the fight to the Order and all who follow the Seraphim. Evaluator Kael has been marked for death. I will lead the hunt for her personally, assuming Rhiza does not find her first. In the meantime, Aiko has installed herself as Hall's aide, and oversees the defence of Fort Clarke. She is joined by one Brigadier General Fletcher; I remember hearing his name during my training at the Academy, but only in passing.

We are all aware that this is our last hope. Since Capella, Eridani and the rest of our outposts have been overrun. If Fort Clarke falls, humanity is finished. Rhiza and I have been striking back at the Order, while Dostya counterattacks Cybran colonies held by QAI.

The Elite Commander barely acknowledges my existence. Since following the Way, I am more aware and feel things much more strongly than before. I have been wounded in battle, but never have I been hurt like this. If she had her way, I would 'breathe vacuum'. Sooner or later, the Seraphim will find us and we will have to make a stand. If we survive, we will take the fight to them. If we cleanse our galaxy of every Seraphim, QAI and the Order, even if Father forgives me, I doubt she will. Some betrayals are unforgiveable, unforgivable.

[…]

Although it has taken almost two years of refinement, with Father's assistance, I have modified my Aeon frame. I have tentatively dubbed it 'ERIS'(mk-III). This hybrid ACU operates a Crysalis matrix, employing stealth systems, modified UEF sensor jammers and shoulder drones and Aeon shielding. Armour plating has been reinforced in key positions, resulting in a series of ribs and ridges. This encasement has not compromised the manoeuvrability or speed, but instead resembles the pinnacle of Aeon engineering, the 'Galactic Colossus Sacred Assault Bot'. Fusion output has been doubled, a byproduct of the Aeon's superior internal structural integrity, allowing streamlining of the Microwave Laser coolant and stabilising the generator. The main cannons are twin Aeon 'Oblivion Cannons'. The drones have adapted to mount scaled UEF Zephyr Anti-Matter cannon capable of rapid burst fire.

Furthermore, the memory banks have been embedded with very select digital template patterns, including prototype schematics that the Order and Seraphim have no knowledge of. Synthetic DNA memory storage has been encrypted and compressed to allow a greater volume than the old ACU. All this has been achieved by integrating a prototype logic array, which ironically, was developed from Seraphim artefacts Father recovered from Orionis 13-August-3844, back during the Infinite War. I remember hearing rumours of a Cybran incursion, but until recently, I was unaware of its validity or purpose. Father informed me that it was Mach who secured the artefacts, which were later used to expand QAI.

It may have been this that corrupted the artificial intelligence, but Father assures me that if that was the case, it will not occur in the new array. I have made the schematics available to Rhiza and Aiko; should I fall, my work will not be lost. Our work.

I cannot tell if the others are impressed or disgruntled. Rhiza views it with a mix of scepticism and awe, warning me to bring 'glory to the Princess'. Dostya simply displays her usual stoicism, and I wonder again what it will take for her to forgive me, if she ever will. Hall sees any advance as being in our favour and will take any advantage he can get. I see in Aiko's eyes the unspoken question: "was it worth it?"

Worth ending the Infinite War for this? Worth losing so many lives just to allow a greater threat into our galaxy? Worth stopping the destruction of entire planets to a desperate regime of an old order that refused to negotiate? Worth spreading the Way to humanity?

My Princess would have said yes, that the war had to stop. My Father believed the Infinite War had to end, as did Riley and Clarke. That was something we all had in common: the need for victory. But was it worth it?


	15. 29-July-3847, Griffin IV

29-July-3847, Griffin IV

—Classified—

Personal Log: Private

I don't know how, but the Seraphim have found us. Fort Clarke is under siege.

[…]

Fletcher currently defends Fort Clarke. Rhiza and Dostya are off raiding, and Father is in his ship somewhere. Hall and Aiko are hours away coordinating the construction of the outlying civilian centres' defences. I'm the only one in range.

[…]

I have been informed that Eridani has been retaken. Rhiza's doing. Seems our base wasn't detected, but our fallback position was razed. My research is secure. Rebuilding to commence. I must consider constructing a ship like Father's.

[…]

Personal Log: Encrypted

—Operation: Black Day. Objective: Defence of Fort Clarke—

The assault was led by a Seraphim, Shun-Ullevash. He had two Order commanders with him, Gari, and her subordinate Victoria. There were two towns near Fort Clarke. I don't know how they were able to gain so much ground so quickly, but they constructed a perimeter east to south. Fletcher was pinned.

Since Rhiza accepted us, I have been studying Avatar-of-War Marxon's tactics. All records of regarding these reside in my cortex. Although fragmented, I begin to understand how he was able to overwhelm the UEF and cleanse billions. Ruthless, brutal, relentless efficiency. Gari was one of Marxon's, and from what Rhiza has told me of the Avatar, he trained all his commanders this way. His most loyal follow Evaluator Kael now. However, analysis reveals that they press their attack, pausing to construct stationary defences as an afterthought. Their factories are their defence, and the assault bots they pour from these. Hover-tanks serve as support. I think I understand why the Aeon's armour is inferior to the UEF's; theirs is fast and light, whereas the UEF has designed theirs to dig in.

Gari displayed all the traits of a typical Illuminate commander under Marxon. Waves of tanks, mobile shield generators, and anti-air ground units, along with light aircraft, interceptors and bombers she grouped in divisions. Her subordinate served to shield her southern flank, while Gari held the east, and Shun-Ullevash the northeast. Fletcher was supposed block Shun-Ullevash's advance, the anvil to my hammer. Instead, he was overrun and forced to fall back to the outer edge of Fort Clarke.

I do not think they were expecting one versed in Cybran strategy. QAI decimated most of the symbiont military, and Fort Clarke is of UEF construction. HQ had its own ideas about my primary objectives; they forget that I was taught strategy, by my Father, Dr. Brackman, who saw the Infinite War from start to finish, a thousand years of conflict, trained in the field by Col. Zachary Arnold in the heat of battle, and that I am a Sword of the Way, the Princess' Champion. There is a reason the UEF lost the war, and that reason was not the Colonel; it was pen-pushing bureaucrats like those directing from 'HQ'. I remember Arnold's frustration at them; I wish Clarke were directing mission parameters. She was never snide and knew what it was to be out in the field.

My fury grows with such incompetence. Their tactics are flawed, and they cannot employ strategy. Combining the remnants of EarthCom and Father's Ops into a joint structure was a mistake; Rhiza is right: operating in unison only works if we are allowed to operate to our strengths. HQ should advise, providing collated intelligence not command.

HQ's constant buzzing was a distraction, so I deactivated my Quantum Communication systems. The lack of oversight during battle would have been an issue to most UEF pilots, but being stranded against insurmountable odds is nothing new to a symbiont, and Arnold taught me how to operate without EarthCom's interference. I think he would have been proud. I can almost hear his voice: "Saddle up, Rookie. It's going to get bumpy out there."

[…]

The factories surrounding Fort Clarke were under Fletcher's command. I gated to the southern isle, where we had an outlying backup base. During the early months of construction, it provided power for the gate. It was far enough away that our enemies couldn't use it to storm the fort, but close enough components could be sent to the site.

Since QAI's integration and spread through the Quantum Gate Network, we have only been able to use the recall function. Back during the war, Col. Arnold and I would gate direct to coordinates via a node above world. Most of our missions didn't require an established gate on planet unless we needed to shift units through. The gate on Fort Clarke was meant to serve as a final means of escape and as reinforcement. My hope was to exploit this and launch a surprise counter-assault.

Father was working on a jamming device during the last days of the Infinite War. If he is able to complete it, we will be able to shield ourselves from non-orbital attack. Moreover, it may be possible to build a perimeter along the Rift to prevent any further incursion.

While HQ was briefing me, Gari attacked Fort Clarke's gate. The briefing had to be cut short, and I made planetfall. Shun-Ullevash, Gari and Victoria had already established their lines by the time I arrived. Instead of rebuilding the damaged secondary base, I patched into Fletcher's factories and commandeered a wing of SR90 Blackbird scout planes, two bomber squadrons and interceptor escort, along with three air transports containing mobile shield generators and siege assault bots. Fletcher was desperately trying to hold back ground forces and their air cover, which was minimal. I ordered strikes on the enemy's sensor arrays. While the bomber wings were on their way, I steered my ACU north, having engaged my stealth systems before gating. Gari was the greater threat, so while Victoria was assaulting the battered defences of the southern base, I focused my attention on her.

The air transports deployed their troops and provided cover, drawing Gari's attention from the bombers. Most of her forces were besieging the two towns, which were west and southeast of her position. Ground forces drove a wedge west, while her naval base bombarded the south-eastern town. I do not know how Fletcher allowed them to gain such a foothold, but HQ claimed they 'caught us with our pants down'. Our key resources should have been heavily defended, but whatever defences we had were swiftly overrun. My diversion drew Gari's wrath; she had been constructing three Galactic Colossi, one of which was nearly finished. These titans dwarfed everything else on the field by a factor of three, if not more. Mistaking the bombers for the feign, she focused her attentions on the siege assault bots, which speared her southern defences and gained access to her power grid before being overcome. This bought time for my ACU to position itself and I brought my Oblivion cannons and Microwave Laser to bear. The subsequent detonation in Gari's reactor caused a cascade overload and shattered her power supply. Her base defences went down within seconds. From the wreckage of her ACU, I accessed the self-destruct codes for her subordinate, Victoria. Just as Marxon always carried the self-destruct codes for his subordinates, Gari and the rest of his followers carried on the practice.

I broadcast an order for Victoria's immediate surrender, and to recognise the Princess' authority, but she refused.

Without pressure to his north, but still pressed on his eastern flank by Shun-Ullevash, Fletcher was able to divert his forces and concentrate his defences. However, HQ's ill-advice left him vulnerable in several key locations, which the Seraphim was able to exploit and prevent him from advancing. Despite this, Shun-Ullevash was tied up long enough for me to rebuild Gari's base. The Order of the Illuminate had scrambled their codes, but they still operate on Marxon's philosophy, which was fundamentally Aeon. Once I had the command codes, I was able to infiltrate and reactivate several non-key systems, and from these, access the core systems. Construction of the Galactic Colossi was completed, and I turned these on the Seraphim.

Despite overwhelming the Seraphim's perimeter defences, Shun-Ullevash had been in the process of constructing strategic missiles. As the Colossi reached him, he launched these warheads. As a result of extensive bombing during the Infinite War, all towns were equipped with countermeasures for such a strike. Fort Clarke should have been protected. A wave of bombers broke through the shields and triggered an overload in the Fort's backup generators; the forward and southern generators had already been lost when Fletcher fell back. These were in the process of being rebuilt when the bombers broke through. I had tried to patch in the power from Gari's base into the Fort's systems, but the compatibility of Aeon and UEF technology takes time. Just before the Colossi's beam weaponry cut through Shun-Ullevash's armour, he issued a time delay self-destruct command to all his systems. The warheads struck blinding our sensors momentarily. When they cleared, Fort Clarke was gone.


	16. 01-August-3847, Copernicus

—Classified—

01-August-3847, Copernicus

Personal Log: Private

Hall thinks it's all over. Kael thinks she's won. Both are wrong. Coalition HQ may have fallen, but we are far from beaten. Rhiza and I will fight on, as will Dostya, even if the UEF retreats. Hall may be ready to give up, but the Cybran have been persecuted and in hiding for centuries. Fort Clarke can be rebuilt.

Rhiza has told me that three of her covert loyalists have been captured and asked for my aid. I have agreed. Mathea, the regional leader, and the others attempted a secret operation against QAI; these loyalists infiltrated the Order of the Illuminate over a year ago and have been vital in acquiring information and spreading the Princess' cause. Rhiza fears that Mathea will be implanted with an A.I. chip and her entire operation overturned. QAI has done this before, and Dostya believes this is how Fort Clarke's location was compromised.

The loyalist network stretches from Pearl II, Zeta Canis, Copernicus, Rigel II, Luthien, Seraphim II, and Orionis. Copernicus serves as a staging ground for QAI to launch strikes against Hades, Capella, and Zeta Canis. Rhiza herself has gone on ahead to another location, which she has kept from me in the event of my capture.

An Order commander, Celene, is reported to be operating in the area. Rhiza tells me that Celene was devoted to the Princess, but has fallen for Kael's lies with the Princess' disappearance. Celene has been recorded to have slain thousands of symbionts. Rhiza will not say why she has left this rescue to me, but whatever her reasons, they must be of the utmost importance.

Dostya has contacted me with further orders. She believes there is a traitor amongst us, and has located a Quantum Communication station on an island west of QAI's main base. Although masked by stealth fields, she has been monitoring the station's communication. I am to upload a tracking device. She has not said so, but this will help prove myself in her eyes. She is not pleased by Fort Clarke's fall, but I do not think she blames me. Kael seems to be rejoicing over the victory, but Dostya believes we can take advantage of this and initial a series of surgical strikes. General Hall is more despondent, and the only word I've heard on Fletcher is he was able to recall. Rhiza has said that Fletcher blames me for Fort Clarke's fall, but I hear in her voice she holds Fletcher accountable. I could be wrong, but I think Dostya views events similarly. Father has simply said that the loss was "regrettable, my boy, oh yes". It makes me wonder if perhaps this was not entirely unexpected, or if Fort Clarke was nothing more than a decoy.

A loyalist named 'Thalia' will brief me further when I make planetfall. My first task is to assess the situation, assume command of the loyalists' assets and proceed towards the prison camp. As soon as Mathea is secure, I will launch a strike on QAI's primary base. In her last transmission before her capture, Mathea revealed that QAI is operating an ACU. Celene's main base is east of QAI's, but the prison camp is jointly guarded. The camp itself is situated in a valley, with a host of winding passages leading towards it. That the camp itself is away from the main base suggests that it is nothing more than bait to draw the rest of the loyalists out.

If I cannot retrieve Mathea, I am to see she lives on in the Way.

[…]

—Operation: Dawn. Objective: Secure Loyalists, Eliminate QAI's presence on Copernicus—

Once I made planetfall, I found Thalia's bases under attack by Celene's forces. Thalia's defences were woefully inadequate; she and the other Loyalists had been waging a guerrilla war with little regard for a permanent base camp. It seemed that they had adopted the tactics of Cybran, and shielded their outposts in stealth fields. Despite being cloaked myself, the outpost I landed in had been discovered by a scout patrol. QAI may have tracked the Gate activity, or found some means of tracing the Quantum signature, or it may have been coincidence. Dostya may also be right in suspecting a leak in our security.

After dispatching the scout patrol, I set about securing a temporary perimeter and met with Thalia. She provided me with more detailed information about the prison camp. Celene had a forwards base in the foothills of the valley, backed by a resource facility. Thalia's bases were scattered throughout the hills. My position was at the base of the valley, tucked behind a ridge. A line of hills separated Celene's forwards base, east of my location. To the north was a small isle, which held an Order administration and research facility. A high-ranking Order official, "Rhys", had holed up there. Further north, a second set of isles held QAI's Quantum Communication post, and QAI's ACU operated to the west of this. Directly south, was the prison camp, separated by hills and sea.

Rhiza had left me to make my own decisions; there seemed to be two obvious courses of action. Direct assault, or remain concealed. I had silenced the scout patrol before my presence was revealed, but that did not mean our position had not been compromised. Sacking Celene's forward base would alert her to my intent; time was of the essence, but engaging in a shooting war would only serve QAI. Thalia and her people used air transports equipped with mobile shield generators to move around. Lacking mobile stealth generators set them at a distinct disadvantage; it had taken Father a long time to design those and proved invaluable in the past. My main concern, however, was by fabricating them, QAI would detect the presence of Cybran technology, so instead, I extended my own stealth field around the transport and flew to the most eastward of Thalia's four regional bases. In anticipation for the strike, Thalia had rigged a set of vehicles to detonate upon impact. The trick would be in getting them there.

Capturing Rhys and forcing him to reveal the command-codes, if he even knew them, for the prison complex was not a viable option, as Celene would be alerted to our intent the moment my ACU seized the facility. Given how lightly guarded the facility was, the logical assumption was Rhys was wittingly or unwittingly a lure. The prison's sensor array drew on a set of generators located near the centre of the camp. The camp itself was split down the middle between QAI and Celene, QAI in the south and Celene in the north. Thalia's intelligence confirmed that the prison itself was in Celene's grasp; I found this odd, most odd. If QAI was creating symbionts, why did Celene retain possession?

My plan was Thalia would launch an assault on the administration facility the moment the main power generators in the camp failed. The forward base would take a few moments to patch power back into the prison, but by then, the sensors would be taken care of.

The terrain itself was challenging. This was the only reason the Loyalists had not been obliterated entirely. As a result, the prison focused on air cover and had defence turrets at the entrances of the pass and anti-air installations around the base. High walls encased the complex.

Enabling the adapted UEF sensor jammer within my ACU, the patrolling interceptors were drawn away by aerial scouts they believed to be twenty strong. Three air transports crashed into the west side of the complex, creating a gap the fourth and fifth transport dove into. Their shields held for barely an instant, collapsing on impact from multiple surface-to-air missiles. Dropping their cargo, they headed straight for the generators, while the rigged vehicles headed towards the gate turrets.

QAI was not so easily deceived. A phalanx of assault bots awaited, concealed under mobile stealth generators. They immediately opened fire, causing multiple detonations of the jury-rigged vehicles. I had to adapt my plan; QAI would anticipate retreat, or a desperate assault. I did not need to be a symbiont to calculate what would occur were QAI allowed to retain possession of its position.

From the air, I dispensed with the stealth field and targeted the generators with my forward weaponry. Timing the rate of reload had left me with just long enough to puncture the closest generator; my ACU dropped just as the next salvo slammed into the mobile shield, and transport. I had intended it as a means of getting Mathea out in one piece. There was a second, backup transport in the central base; if Father had taught me anything, it was that I should always leave a backdoor, and have a clear path of retreat.

The Microwave Laser's red beam sheered through the generator's plating, and my drones' cannons' anti-matter launched itself into its core. Sweeping over to the first bot as it rounded the corner, it too, detonated and my ACU twisted to target the sensor array with the Oblivion cannons.

There were eighteen bots in all, and the generator's destruction triggered a cascade overload, which took out twelve of them. At this point, Celene's reinforcements appeared. They had been waiting just outside the camp at the mouth of the pass. Camouflaged by QAI's mobile stealth generators, six Galactic Colossi zeroed in on me. There was no option but to recall. I had failed. This had all been a trap.

[…]

I heard my Princess' voice. Speaking as she once did, her words reached across the Quantum Gate Network. She called us all, the people of the Illuminate. Rise up and reject Kael's teachings, she commanded, warning us the Seraphim were not the gods the Order believed they were. Of Marxon's fate.

Privately, she told me to stand firm, and I cancelled the recall instantly.

I would not have believed it, had I not seen it with my own eyes. Six tactical warheads; I witnessed the missiles' trail as they arced from the north. The first three from Celene's easternmost base and the latter three from QAI's. Even before they struck, the Colossi's beams shot past me; even within the ACU, I could feel the beams' sheer power. Five more detonations resounded behind me as QAI's bots shattered. Sweeping in all directions, the Colossi reduced the southern camp to ruin.

A few moments later, I spoke with Celene. Her awe, her dismay, and frantic need to atone, to "make things right". Turning over the command-codes to the camp, she begged our Princess' forgiveness. Rhiza's voice sounded through the comm., claiming Celene had been told our Princess was alive, and now she must live with the consequences of her actions. I had never seen an Aeon beg before. The Way had altered my sight, and Celene's heartfelt plea wrenched at me.

Without hesitation, she turned over the Order's schematics, transmitting what she termed as their most secret weapon: a Quantum Reactor. Father would have a field day. Col. Arnold would have said "Stop drooling, Rookie" and ordered me to move out. My mind had already fixed on adapting the reactor for my ACU prototype. A scaled down version could fix the issues with the Microwave Laser and stealth fields.

I understood where Rhiza had gone and why. I didn't know why our Princess had waited for so long, but I knew she must have had her reasons. All I knew was her intervention had once again spared and saved my life.

Mathea was my next priority. Leaving the automated defences to repair themselves, I patched into the prison. By the time I had broken through QAI's encryption, Thalia had arrived with Rhys in tow. Her incursion had taken place during the Princess' speech. QAI had implanted Mathea with a chip, but had been interrupted before it could upload its modified loyalty programme. I was able to disable the chip's transmitter, ensuring extraction could not take place.

Thalia viewed her with a mixture of sympathy and disgust. There was surprise in her eyes when my own met hers; something passed between us, and she knew I understood. Thalia installed Rhys in the prison, and Celene sent over a transport containing an empty ACU. Allowing Mathea an ACU was a risk, but we needed her. Although Celene's base had taken a heavy battering, she still had her six Colossi. With Thalia's bases working in unison with Celene's, they were able to make up the shortfall. Launching a renewed strike, they engaged QAI's southern front, while Celene's forward base and Thalia's westernmost base began production of a ground-air force combination. Mathea headed to Celene's location to aid reconstruction and I took a transport and escort to the Quantum Communications station on the northern isle.

Aerial surveillance revealed the station possessed naval defences and a few scant anti-air turrets, all of which turned to track the interceptors. Four of them were lost before I could fully gain access to the facility and upload Dostya's device. As soon as it was transmitted, I severed the connection to the Quantum Gate Network and began reprogramming it with a modulating 'scrambling' frequency. The facility was of Cybran construction and the encryption protocols were low level. According to reports, QAI was not as vast as it claimed and still relied on basic Cybran architecture. As part of our training, Father instructed us in the use of EMP through the A.I. portion of our cortex. QAI would expect such an attack, and I lacked the immediate means to create one, but my aim was to synthesise a similar effect in QAI's systems. At the very least, I hoped to allow a few seconds for the Colossi to break through. Celene reported they were engaged with QAI's 'spiderbots'.

It took some time to adapt the Comms station but Celene, Thalia and Mathea kept QAI occupied. This tactic would only work once, as QAI would adapt but it froze its generators. Had I the power of Black Sun, I might have been able to annihilate QAI entirely, but Father programmed it to be resilient and 'grow back'. With the power down, Thalia was able to land her ground troops without disturbance, while bomber wings brought the shield generators down. Celene's Colossi moved in and QAI's ACU was defeated in short order.


	17. 01-August-3847, Eridani

—Classified—

01-August-3847, Eridani

Personal Log: Private

Mathea has assured me Rhys will tells us everything he knows, whether he wishes it or not. He, like many of the Order, rejected our Princess' call to arms. Celene has been both subdued and fervent. Her eyes are filled with sorrow, regret and a zeal that is fearless and borders on worship. Rhiza has warned her further betrayal will not be tolerated; she has since issued Celene with another assignment. It seems the Order has been torn by a schism. Many loyal to Marxon have defected and now a brutal war rages within the Order's ranks. Those still loyal to Kael are among her most fanatical, and there will be no more willing to join the Princess' cause.

I understand my Princess' appearance has caused hope to stir inside General Hall. Father, too, is pleased by this. He is more pleased that Dostya was able to capture a Seraphim. I'm not quite sure how she did it, but if anyone could, it was her. Father has set to work on deciphering its language matrix, which he no doubt believes is the key to decrypting the Seraphim's schematics.

In any event, I am pleased to see Aiko again. I think she was pleased to see me too, and surprised by this. I introduced her to Thalia and Mathea, both of whom acknowledged her. Mathea possesses an almost unearthly grace; her hair is long, draped down one temple, and braided at the other. Her features are long, noble, serene. Thalia seems boyish by comparison; her hair is short, her features rounded. Her eyes, nostrils and lips all seem larger and she is chirpier. Neither of them adorn the tattoos Celene and Rhiza wears. Thalia seems quite content to access this station, then that, while Mathea haunts the hallways and arches. Rhiza refuses her return to active duty until we have determined the extent of the chip. No one has made mention of it, but Thalia's presence here confirms my suspicions: if Mathea turns, she will terminate her.

I have never felt so awkward, so clumsy as I do now. I cannot stand near Mathea without feeling out of place. She has not spoken of it, with words or her eyes, but her stare drifts to meet mine and moves off again. When it connects, I feel her loss, her torment, but she bears it with quiet dignity. She is easily the most elegant lady I have ever met, even beyond my Princess. I cannot look at her without feeling like an intruder, an abomination. I look at her and feel ashamed. I cannot express these feelings, or even give voice to them. When our eyes meet, I know she understands, perhaps better than I do.

I have redoubled my efforts to augment and replace my implants. I feel driven, almost as if I can atone for my kind by refining the external circuits. Aeon seamlessness will not reverse what we are, what she has become, but perhaps it will make it more bearable. Strangely, I know she appreciates my efforts.

Aiko studies her when she thinks no one else is looking; Mathea knows, I can feel it, but she chooses to tolerate it with her usual calm. I have never felt anger from her, only steely resolve. There is nothing in this galaxy that would convince me to trade places with Rhys. His screams are something even Aiko finds chilling. I never thought anything faze her. Despite that, I do not think it will be long before she accepts the Way. My Princess' words continue to have an effect on her, and day by day, she looks more and more at peace, as if she had always walked this sanctum's halls. I wonder if she even recalls her life outside these walls.

[…]

The Quantum Reactor is incredibly, truly incredible. I have attempted to construct a small sized version, but I have yet to achieve a working model. There is great potential within it, oh yes. If QAI was ever to integrate such a reactor into his mainframes… I shudder at the thought.

I have sought out Thalia and Mathea's assistance, and both seem willing. Thalia is eager, and Mathea composed. I have explained that I intend to incorporate a scaled version of the reactor into the hybrid ACUs, and they seem amicable to the idea. Aiko has also expressed an interest, and she is proving to be quite the engineer. Her knowledge of mechanics is surprising, but perhaps it should not be. She has repaired the two UEF ACUs, and made modifications of her own. She has built herself an entire workshop, and focuses on strengthening the shield domes generated by the ACUs. I'm not entirely sure what she's planning, but no one seems to have questioned her intent. I am aware, however, she has been in contact with Fletcher.

His animosity towards Rhiza and Dostya has not gone unnoticed, and both have commented. I have scoured both Aeon and Cybran records for any mention of him; calling up his record on the UEF systems would look suspicious. There is little mention of him, only that he is a competent pilot and has fought many battles, often committing too much to his assault and not enough to his defence. My main concern is for Aiko.

[…]

I have finally found out why the Aeon despise us so. They believe that cybernetics implants inhibit finding the Way. It makes sense that the algorithms and logic functions in the neural pathways and cortex would alter the brain's chemical balance. Father intended us to be the next step in human evolution, to advance the Earth Empire. The knowledge is innate in us: our heritage. We were created to be superior to natural humans, our A.I.-assisted thinking able to compute complex processes with rapid ease. To retain the guise of being born as a UEF citizen, a UEF symbiont, my body was kept as free from augmentation as possible. Until Matar, I had always kept my head free of hair; now my implants are concealed, visible only at the temple. Many in the Cybran Nation appear more machine than flesh, adorning themselves with implants. They worship technology with the same devotion as the Aeon who follow the Way. We are seen as slaves, and the Aeon as fanatics.

Mathea told me of the Illuminate's history. I knew the Seraphim found by Dr. Jane Burke were wiped out, but I had not known how. Commander Trent Smith of the old Earth Empire led an expedition to Seraphim II. Humanity had never encountered alien life before, and Smith quarantined the planet, and jammed communications to keep Earth's location hidden.

Mathea showed me Smith's original log entries. In his xenophobia, he ordered the Seraphim exiles be met with violence. Dr. Burke discarded this and made contact with them, and a cultural exchange followed. Several others joined Dr. Burke and the Seraphim exiles introduced them to the Way. Smith rallied the remainder of the colonists, declaring Dr. Burke and her colleagues 'brainwashed', and led a brutal, unprovoked first strike against the aliens in an attempt to destroy the planet. Despite living in harmony, the Seraphim exiles possessed superior weapons, and turned these upon Smith. Smith's response was to unleash a virus his scientists engineered into the atmosphere before he and his followers were slain.

Both the Seraphim and Dr. Burke were unable to find a cure, and the exiles dedicated their last days to teaching Dr. Burke the Way. During this she had a vision of endless war, and came to believe the only way to prevent it was by spreading the Way to humanity. The Empire lost many probes and expeditions in Seraphim space, but a century on, the colonists sent the Empire a message. They called themselves the Aeon Illuminate and invited humanity to embrace the harmony of the Way. The Empire's answer was to send an occupation force to quarantine the planet.

As inheritors of the Seraphim exiles' culture, weapons and technology, the Illuminate has attempted to find its way, but without the Seraphim to guide them, they have been unable to truly master the Way. My Princess has revealed how her vision has been clouded, but what she has foreseen has come to pass. This knowledge… if only I had known. Mathea epitomises everything the Aeon seek to attain. There is a softly spoken modesty governed by an inner discipline in their surroundings, in themselves. There is such an awareness of each other that more is not necessary; where my brethren augment themselves outwardly, the Aeon seek beauty, grace and inward peace. A harmony. They live in the knowledge that if they cannot stop humanity's warring, we will destroy ourselves.

Billions slain… this madness, all to prevent a vision. I understand why so many of the Order would embrace the Seraphim, an answer to such desperate longing, a longing that has lasted centuries. A chance for redemption, atonement, to be taken back. Parents coming home to lost children. But the Seraphim of the Rift are not those Dr. Burke knew. If they were the vengeful gods those from the Rift claim to be, Dr. Burke and her colleagues would have been slain for the transgressions of Smith and his followers. My Princess is right; the Seraphim are not gods. Besides, gods are not mortal, and I have watched the Seraphim die.

I… feel drawn here, to my Princess' hope. I cannot help but wonder if Marxon believed that if only the Aeon remain, then there will be no war. Interestingly enough, Mathea revealed Marxon originally trained to be a priest. He was exceptional in many ways, she reflected; the Illuminate's soldiers are primarily women. Beyond Arnold and myself, I cannot think of another man in the Aeon's ranks. Mathea also spoke of the last princess, Miranda Burke, and of Evaluator Toth. The Evaluator was murdered by Marxon in his coup d'état; she was seventy-two years old. I remember that day, 14-September-3844, ten days before I fired Black Sun. I felt my Princess' grief; I still feel echoes of it. She steeled herself that day; her determination has only hardened. In matter-of-fact tones, Mathea explained that the role of Evaluator is that of principle advisor to the princess, and Evaluator Toth was known to have not only advised, but personally chose Rhianne Burke and her two predecessors.

Toth must have steered my Princess' hand towards mercy; Miranda Burke's policy was one of planetary cleansing. I… never knew. Never knew her. I know the truth of Mathea's words; there is so much that is open now that was closed before. So much that I feel. I… owe Toth so much, a debt I can only repay by serving my Princess. A debt I intend to honour.

For a moment, I thought I felt my Princess smile, a sad smile, her eyes watching, regarding me. I felt her warmth, bittersweet sorrow and joy. A fleeting thought crossed my mind: how would Toth and Father have gotten along? I know I felt my Princess smile then, and then she was gone. I owe her my life again. Rhiza is with her, I know. I do not know why she has not named her Avatar-of-War yet; perhaps the stench of Marxon's rebellion is still too fresh, or the post is too powerful and she would have all commanders report to her directly. Perhaps it simply holds too many bad memories. I still do not know why she chose me as Champion; doubt never crosses Rhiza's mind, her devotion is adoration. I do not deserve to be her Champion.

Was that sympathy? Mathea's gaze rested on me, but her face showed no expression.

Kael, she continued, usurped the role of Evaluator during Marxon's coup d'état. It is thought Kael supported and advised Marxon during his years as Avatar, but this is not something I have dared, or can dare ask my Princess about. Mathea sheds no more light on the matter, but her silence confirms the insinuations. I believe she has only spoken of this because of my intervention. If I attain even half her composure, half her control… the programming within my cortex governs how I access my knowledge and aids my calculations, but what the Aeon have? Machines could never achieve that.

I hear her voice's gentle chiding, understanding, embracing. She calls me her beloved Champion, that I am one of them. That I should stop thinking of the Aeon as 'them'; I am part of the Illuminate. Her sword of the Way. It is time I came to her side.


	18. 02-August-3847, Blue Sky

—Classified—

02-August-3847, "Blue Sky"

Personal Log: Private

"Blue Sky", my Princess' Sanctum. The planet is located between Seraphim II and Orionis, an ice world tucked out of sight. Evaluator Toth prepared it shortly after my Princess ascended the throne. I feel her calling me. Rhiza is with her, but so are the Seraphim. Somehow, they tracked her there. I suspect it is because she used the Quantum Gate Network to reach out and stay Celene's hand. A high degree of infighting has broken out, and Kael is eradicating anyone she suspects of Loyalist sympathies. Rhiza informs me that most of the Order's military is behind her, but if Kael captures the Princess any dissent will be crushed. If Kael has made planetfall, this will be an opportunity to rid her from the galaxy and unite the Aeon once and for all.

Father has mentioned that he has almost deciphered the captured Seraphim's language matrix. I'm not entirely sure how he managed to translate it so fast, but if QAI and the Order can communicate with them, there must be a way. I wouldn't be surprised if Dostya had a hand in interrogating the Seraphim she captured, or if Father planted a chip in it as QAI has done to so many of our allies. Father tested the matrix on the logs of Fort Clarke my ACU recorded, and through the datafiles from Gari's base. It gave a name to the Seraphim Commander, Shun-Ullevash, and perhaps now we can intercept their comms and make sense of them.

[…]

—Operation: Red Flag. Objectives: Cleanse "Blue Sky"—

As soon as I arrived on site, Rhiza informed me of the situation. The Seraphim landed a few hours ahead of me, but Rhiza held them at bay. Although her defences were substantial, several forward positions had already been overrun. The two Seraphim commanders were able to secure four sites within striking distance of the palace. One of "Blue Sky's" quirks, and part of the reason Evaluator Toth chose it in the first place is due to its crystals. The conditions generate interference with sensors. Whether harmonic or electromagnetic, I hadn't had time to determine. Pockets of these formations were rife, and the palace's gardens held many outcrops.

Kael was not on planet.

To the far northwest of the palace, the Seraphim had constructed a naval base; to the north and west, they were constructing bombers, of the same design that scorched Earth. Directly north Zan-Aishahesh had made his primary base, and directly west Thel-Uuthow made his. Both of them occupied sites formerly held by Rhiza. To the south of the naval yard, Rhiza operated a naval-air yard of her own.

Leaving Rhiza to deal with the naval base, I planned to reinforce the palace defences. My place was at my Princess' side; her safety came first. I also made a note to harvest a sample of the crystals for further study, and access the palace's records on weather patterns and any other data that could explain the crystals' odd behaviour. The effect was very similar to the UEF sensor jammers.

Taking command of the palace forces, I set the engineers to work constructing additional anti-air and cannon turrets, backup shields generators and power plants. I am afraid to say I rode roughshod over her garden, and in an otherwise icy world, I trampled through the only trees. The palace was situated within the crater of an old, inactive volcano. A long land bridge connected it to the a glacial island, and an ancient lava run reached the sea. These two openings had been reinforced with a series of extensive steps. However, five of the eight barriers had been breached on the land bridge, and the sea dock had lost half of its walls due to extensive bombardment. The crater itself had not been pierced, and that became my starting point.

No matter how much my Princess claimed I was one of her own, I was still a symbiont, and some things are ingrained. Standard patterning for Aeon construction involves arcs and spiralling arms. UEF construction templates involve the use of right angles, and blocky, physical walls. Cybran construction favours triangular, sharp, jagged formations. My own, when not posing as a UEF officer, gravitates towards triangular shield array placement, as it did in this case. That extended to a hexagonal ring of sorts, sealing the crater wall. Turret placement was also grouped using "trilateral positioning" and "crescents". Situated on mounds and encased with walls, they formed bottlenecks and operated in inclines.

Both Seraphim relentlessly assaulted my position with mixed forces. Approaching bomber wings were headed off by Rhiza's interceptors. Ground troops were shot down by turret batteries. If nothing else, I had learnt how to hunker down during my training at the Academy. Surrounded on two sides, and with incoming naval vessels, I decided it was time to test Celene's prototype Quantum Reactor. At the same time, my factories began producing aerial interceptors and anti-naval torpedo bombers. If those bombers took off…

My preliminary comparison between Cybran and Aeon generator schematics revealed a fundamental difference in design. While Aeon reactors drew from the Quantum realm, Cybran generators were ion based. This meant adapting one technology to the other's power supply meant a complete overhaul. UEF and Cybran technologies were not so very different, though the UEF reactors were cruder and as with most of their technologies, more brutally efficient. To deploy Cybran technology alongside Aeon buildings meant constructing two separate infrastructures, with schematics from my memory banks. There are a few advantages of being a symbiont, and I am able to process the dual, even tri strands of infrastructure, and I fabricated Cybran engineers alongside Aeon. It was time to let QAI know I was here.

I split my engineers into eight groups. A defence team and a repair team for the land-bridge; a defence and repair team for the sea port; an Aeon team to construct Celene's Quantum Reactor prototype, a secondary Aeon team to prepare long range artillery; a Cybran team to repair and replace any Cybran turrets and shield array within the crater, and an Aeon team to do the same with the Aeon crater shield array and turrets. Two additional teams supported the factories, one Cybran, one Aeon, while I began construction of a Quantum Gate. I was getting my Princess to safety if those bombers took to the air.

My plan was to disable the bombers while they were still on the ground with long range, heavy EMP bombardment. If Father got his hands on one of these…

[…]

The Seraphim were not anticipating such a defence, I suspect. Their experience with the Order are Marxon's disciples. Twice, my shield array went down, only for the backup Cybran shield array to take over. Rhiza was able to cause severe damage to the naval yard and render it out of commission. Meanwhile, Zan-Aishahesh's ground troops were locked up in the narrow passages. The debris rose so high it stood higher than the trees, higher than my ACU.

The sea port was another matter. In spite of my reinforcement, the gully took a pounding. Their ships were armed with anti-air cannon, and were slowly shredding my anti-naval aircraft. Once those went down, I only had a reserve wing of interceptors to take down the bombers. Thel-Uuthow had wheeled around to deal with Rhiza's encroaching forces, and I took the opportunity to shell him. Unfortunately, the heavy artillery installations were taking to longer to construct than I calculated due to the sheer strain the shields were under. I had to draw from my manufacturing schedule in order to produce enough engineers to maintain the shield arrays. In total, I had to double my teams, which in turned forced the power supply to breaking point. Constructing further reactors was simply not an option as if the shields were breeched, the proximity would likely trigger a cascade overload and bring the entire crater down around my ears.

While the prototype reactor was being completed, I felt the time had come to ease some of the strain on the shields. Two of the five long range artillery pieces were complete, and I turned them upon Zan-Aishahesh's approaching forces. The land bridge began to buckle under the repeated shelling and detonations as the reactor cores of the assault bots overloaded. Under this rain of ordnance, I advanced. With each step, the artillery rose in curvature and soon they were pounding the Seraphim's shields. These proved to be superior even to the Aeon's shields, but soon a third, then a fourth artillery piece came online. Rhiza dispatched two Galactic Colossi to deal with the bombers. Then, just as the Quantum Reactor prototype came online, one of the bombers took off. Both Rhiza and I scrambled all our interceptors, but the sea was full of cruisers, all armed with anti-air cannons. With ordnance detonating all around me, great white flares blinding my optical sensors, I caught sight of a silhouette of an ACU. Before the haze had cleared, I fired my Oblivion cannons.

Rhiza's fleet was too busy engaging the Seraphim flotilla to be of assistance, and overhead the bomber pushed through the interceptors. My tactical display showed a blur of colours and shapes, lines and characters. I unleashed my Microwave Laser and burnt a hole through three assault bots half my size to one of the surviving construction facilities. The Seraphim ACU returned fire and struck my armour squarely. Had it been my old armour, the beam weaponry would have staggered my frame. I could feel it delivering pulses, and I spun my own beam around and locked my cannons. All around us, lightning seemed to rain. The Aeon artillery splayed streaks of continual lightning falling in teardrops of blue-white fire. Calibrated to deliver a high voltage, explosive charge, it shredded shields. One of these struck us and at that moment, I released twin streams of blue-white energy. I felt my crysalis shatter as the beams met, one red, one white. Then Zan-Aishahesh was no more.

Slowly, I turned and witnessed in horror as a second Seraphim bomber swooped under the palace's shields. It was armed with strategic warheads. The first bomber soared off into the sea, its reactors exploding out as it did. The artillery should have stopped the remaining bombers from ever leaving the ground; Rhiza's Colossi had crippled their production…

The second bomber unleashed its payload and the anti-missile defences fired. Two, three missiles launched, and struck the warhead. The air trembled. A giant shockwave tore outwards, the flash overloading the sensor array. For an agonising instant, the shields held, and then they buckled. A surge, then another, then another, and the Aeon shield array shattered cataclysmically. The vain, desperate hope that the backup shields would kick in withered and died. They stuttered, then held for several seconds. The Seraphim bomber had wheeled and in a vertical arc, as surface-to-air missiles bombarded it from every angle, blasting chunks of its outer plating off, steered itself into a nosedive. The shields couldn't prevent the pressure, fizzled and overloaded as the bomber landed on the palace, its reactor detonating. The Quantum Reactor prototype and power plants simultaneously blew out. The bomber's entire strategic warhead cache went up with its reactor.

Somewhere, through the Comms, I hear Kael's laughter amidst Rhiza's piercing shriek.

It didn't matter that I had fried the circuitry for three of the bombers, and Rhiza's Colossi had destroyed two of these. I had failed, failed…


	19. 03-August-3847, Eridani

—Classified—

03-August-3847, Eridani

Personal Log: Private

By the time I had recalled, it was a new day. Rhiza had turned her fury against Thel-Uuthow, but the monster recalled, laughing. With nothing left but to leave the technicians to recover the last, grounded bomber, I recalled, watching the world turn to white, some of Blue Sky's crystal in my ACU's cannon's collar.

She was waiting for me when I returned. As I wearily disembarked, all hope lost, there she was, smiling. "Hello, my Champion," she greeted me with such warm I simply stared. I found myself on my knees, with no knowledge of how I got there. Her hand, so smooth, so slender, graced my cheek, her touch light, paralysing. "You have done well." There was no condemnation, or anger. The Quantum Gateway I had constructed? No, I would have known had she left the palace. After a moment, it dawned on me. She had never been in her palace. My internal barriers broke, and laugher mixed with sick, giddy relief flowed through my tears.

"Kael…" I began.

Now scorn filled her tone. "Will be shown to be a fool."

It was all I could do to nod slowly. "It is a shame she did not come in person."

My Princess looked at me sharply. "Yes." Then I saw in her eyes all the grief she had suppressed on that day three years ago. I recognised something in them, an awareness stirring within me at their sight. "Rise, my beloved Champion."

"It was her…"

"Yes." Her voice was tighter and filled with more pain than I had ever heard from her before. "She murdered Toth. Marxon was the knife, but hers was the hand behind it." As she left me, I studied her retreating back and I felt anger knotted in bile rise from the pit of my stomach.

"It was necessary." She elaborated gently, speaking directly into my mind. "You could not have overcome such a force in time." The bile's bite faded, the bitterness seeping away. I was her sword to wield as she pleased. In her presence, I could believe almost anything. She knew my thoughts and had enacted my strategies from them; she was here, I hadn't failed her. Nothing else mattered. I felt her warmth wrap around me, pass through me, her inner glow that had opened my eyes so long ago now. My princess, my mind tried to whisper. She already knew. I was hers. As my thoughts dimmed with fatigue, I wanted to ask how they build up such numbers, and she turned and looked sadly into my mind. Something clicked. The Aeon generators were much more efficient than either their Cybran or UEF counterparts; but… the Aeon ACUs had been adapted from Seraphim technology. I found myself nodding again slowly. "Rhiza?"

"Rhiza will take her vengeance."

"The Seraphim–"

"Is of no matter. We have what we needed. Your plan worked. Your beloved Father is already analysing the bomber. We shall have a means to combat their terror soon enough."

Her words seemed distant, so hard, and not the warmth I knew. I felt her tone change. "Come, my Champion." Less than half invitation, mostly command. "It is time you found rest."

I don't remember how I arrived in my chambers, only that exhaustion claimed me as my feet traced their path of their own accord. I found Mathea waiting for me. "Greetings, Champion." I shook my head in disbelief at the absurdity and before my next breath, sleep came sweetly. In my dreams, ethereal lips brushed my brow; elegant fingers smoothing my hair out of the way. When I awoke, I was alone. In my hand was Blue Sky's crystal.


	20. 05-August-3847, Eridani

—Classified—

05-August-3847, Eridani

Personal Log: Private

I have spent the last couple of days with Aiko. The crysalis was damaged beyond repair, and I have not had it in me to repair my ACU. I can barely concentrate on studying the crystals from Blue Sky. Instead, I have found myself sitting quietly, just watching as Aiko tinkers with her shield dome enhancements and coordinates with Hall. A new site has yet to be found, but I understand Fletcher is out there looking for one. The infighting amongst the Order still rages, allowing us a prime opportunity to move without arousing suspicion.

There is growing demand that something must be done about QAI. I feel no fury in my heart, only weariness. I begin to understand what Father spoke of when he spoke of how tired he was near the end of the Infinite War. All that fades as I watch Aiko rewire a circuit, and fit in an armour plate. The ACU is huge, and she only slightly shorter than Thalia, who is shorter by at least a head to Mathea and the rest of the Aeon I've met. Aiko likes to get her gloves dirty, and oil smears her head to toe. Her slacks are dark blue, and hair is sweat soaked, but she seems so happy. It's a different sort of happy to the harmony of the Way. She could programme the schematic into the memory banks, but she prefers a screwdriver and plasma torch. I'm not even sure if she knows I'm there, and then she'll ask me to pass some tool or bolt without looking up.

I… never expected to see her sitting down eating cucumber and cream-cheese sandwiches. White, crustless bread, cut neatly down the middle. It seems so natural, so normal, as if we were both back at the Academy. That she carries it around in a lunchbox… where does she even get bread like that from? Her workshop seems so out of place amidst the elegant columns and arches, spires and hallways, and yet… it's so familiar it's almost like home. Home… whatever that was. I was never more surprised than when she lightly punched my arm and handed me a sandwich. I almost forgot to eat it. When I took that first bite, something broke inside me. She said nothing, but she understood.

I don't know how long we sat in silence, her legs dangling and my head hung. After a while, she said "back to work." And I found myself climbing the scaffold to the platform near the cockpit, lugging a tank of liquid coolant. Toolbox in her hand, plasma cutter in the other, and visor under one arm, I had a hard time believing she was a major and I was a colonel.

[…]

For one not versed in the Way, Aiko seems adept at deciphering my mood. As if we were two cadets back at the Academy, she's led us on a long run around the gardens, and then a session of stretching and kickboxing. We went in bouts, with push-ups, squats, sit-ups, star-jumps and chin-ups using one of the tree's branches. We went for three hours. Then, exhausted and saturated in steaming sweat, she looked up at me. Her hands were on her thighs, and she was warming down. "Coming for a swim, Colonel?"

I could have died.

As we languished in the waters, just floating, I stared up at the dome. The columns were open. Between dodging her punches and blocking her jabs, something had nagged at me. What Mathea told me had been on my mind. I needed to speak with my Princess. Perhaps Smith was onto something… the problem was delivering it. The ACUs were sealed. If the virus still existed, would it affect the Seraphim from the Rift? We could deploy it through the Quantum Gate Network, make our galaxy uninhabitable. But if the virus mutated… A darker thought had crossed my mind. We could send it through the Rift. My Princess would never sanction such a thing. Would she?

Surely someone had thought of this before. Why had no one proposed it? Billions have died. Trillions. The Seraphim have cleansed entire planets. But we don't know what's on the other side of the Rift. What factions exist. If we deployed a virus, we would be as bad as Smith. Only… they attacked us first.

[…]

She is far from pleased. I hear it in her voice, see it in her eyes. Her disapproval is enough I cannot even look at her. I feel so small, but she is not angry. She summoned Mathea, who pointed out that without the Seraphim's backing, Kael will fall. Mathea's calm is chilling. She also reported that Rhys has revealed all he knows and has been dealt with. I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but I didn't like to ask. As an interrogator, Mathea terrifies me.

My Princess has handed us access to the archives and though I feel lower and more wretched than ever before, we have begun reconstructing the strain. I believe the deployment should be twofold: capsules across the Quantum Gate Network, and a modified projectile. The UEF's railguns could easily have their payload replaced. Mathea believes I am over-complicating things: we do not need to modify the railguns. She holds that deploying multiple capsules across various regions will increase the spread. Conventional weapons will pierce the Seraphim's armour. I have countered by suggesting that we may not always face the Seraphim on infected worlds. I do not think the look she fixed me held exasperation, but she still believes that onboard weapons are unnecessary and a liability. If one of our capsules is captured, they will detonate; a railgun is less likely to.

We have compared the DNA of the Seraphim Dostya captured to that of the exiles Dr. Burke originally encountered. Aside from a very slight variation, they appear to be the same species. While the virus is synthesised, we begun work preparing the capsules. I have drafted Aiko for help with the design. Father has also joined the project, his words being "excellent work, my boy, excellent." I believe that using our stealth systems is the way forwards. To my surprise, all present are in agreement. We should have enough to begin testing of the virus in a few days. I can't believe we're actually doing this. I seem to be the only one who feels it is wrong.


	21. 06-August-3847, Hades

—Classified—

06-August-3847, Hades

Personal Log: Private

Dostya has located Thel-Uuthow. According to intelligence, he and another Seraphim are constructing Quantum Gates. From here, the Seraphim will be able to use Hades as a staging platform to launch strikes against multiple fronts. However, Dostya has pointed out that for three years we have been unable to gather a "single scrap of intel" concerning the Seraphim's plans. She believes that it is "rather convenient" that we find ourselves with such information. I am inclined to agree with her.

She has been monitoring Quantum Communications via her tracking bug, but little has come of it. The leak came from a Cybran sleeper cell. Once, she may have believed that a Cybran could never betray another, especially in war, but her eyes fix on me and her doubt is evident. General Hall, however, believes it is one of the only rays of hope we have had, and even if the information is false, we cannot allow the Seraphim to continue.

[…]

—Operation: Meltdown. Objective: Cleanse Hades—

Dostya's dead. Hex5 was responsible. Back during the war, while I was serving in the UEF under General Clarke, Dostya led an Op to retrieve Hex5's Node-mates from the UEF prison camp on Pollux, 06-September-3844. I remember Clarke telling me how Commander Godwyn had fallen. Dostya's report never mentioned any bad blood between her and Hex5, but from her remarks to Father, she held the Seven Hand Node in low regard. "Nothing but a pack of thieves" were her exact words. I have ascertained that Hex5 had acquired the access codes to Black Sun, but refused to turn them over until his Node-mates were liberated. I suspect Dostya was outraged and never forgave his narrow-mindedness. Before she was overwhelmed, Hex5 mentioned that he never forgot a slight.

Elite Commander Dostya died as she lived: a hero of the Cybran nation.


	22. 06-August-3847, Eridani

—Classified—

06-August-3847, Eridani

Personal Log: Private

The events on Hades keeps running through my mind. I keep seeing it over and over, keep wondering if there was anything I could have done differently. Father is devastated. I have never seen him this broken. After Dostya fell, he asked that I return with her remains. He has vowed Hex5 and QAI will pay. I cannot face him. Whether he holds me accountable, whether he blames me for not doing more, or believes that I should have been the one to fall, I do not know, do not know. I placed her remains by his tank, and returned to my chamber on Eridani. I cannot sleep, cannot eat. Even the silent presence of my Princess cannot still my mind; I feel her there with me, sharing my grief, honouring Dostya's memory. Without her, it would be too much to bear.

Elite Commander Dostya has always been there, always been at Father's side, his military attaché, leader of our forces. She was there when I awoke. If I was the dagger within, she was the 'tip of the spear'. I cannot imagine what it will be like without her. I cannot imagine what Father must feel.

I find myself staring blankly in a room empty of all but my thoughts. Everything was recorded and logged in my cortex. I have tried to make a report.

[…]

We arrived in our LZs, a few clicks apart. As the more experienced pilot, Dostya took the lead and I deferred to her without question. Actual rank never played a part; it was an honour to serve with her. Before we gated, we exchanged words. She looked at me as if she expected an objection, as if my time in the UEF and my defection to the Aeon had changed me into something other than Cybran. Her tone was blunt as she informed me that she would not tolerate any deviancy or dereliction of duty. She used different words, but her meaning was clear. I think it was the first time we were truly alone since all this began.

I told her Marxon would have slaughtered us all, Gates or no Gates. Her unvoiced accusation bored into me whenever she looked in my direction, but there in that moment, it was unrestrained. My own words carried the calm of the Way, and that only made her anger harsher. It did not matter that Father's plan would have failed. I was a traitor in her eyes. The few paces that separated us were as nothing; the strength of her will was testament to her respect for Father. It was by his wish and his alone that she had not slain me where I stood a thousand, thousand times over. Nothing I could say or do would alter that.

I do not remember how long I stood there; I remember saying that once this was over, if she still wanted my death, I would not stop her. We both knew I could not even if I tried. For the briefest moment, her grey gaze softened. There was nothing else I could give; only the price of treason remained. For Marxon to have been stopped, a sacrifice had to be made. I turned away, and felt her study me. There had to be a bridge, a Cybran had to accept the Way, for the future of us all… if one of us 'abominations' had to become a 'monster', better it was me. The UEF's remnants would never have suffered my defection once my true allegiance became known.

I do not know if she ever forgave me, but there was an understanding, a quietening. I cannot say what swayed her, only that something changed.

Our mission was simple. Eradicate the enemy presence. Our intel suggested there was a Seraphim base to my west and a second to Dostya's north. It was a trap. QAI had finished the prototype jamming device that Father was working on before the war's end. Shortly after we landed, we were assaulted by hostile forces. Thel-Uuthow was too busy constructing a Quantum Gateway to pay us much attention. Both Dostya and I had activated our stealth systems upon landing but this did not extend to the bases we began construction of. My operational area was once the site of a UEF city; all the structures had been razed long ago and there was nothing to reactivate or salvage beyond the raw materials. Seraphim patrols swept the area in a manner too localised to be anything but a trap. Moreover, our sensors were reading Seraphim units all around us. The LZ was flanked by multiple fronts and the jamming device prevented us from recalling.

While I engaged in combat between the burnt out buildings with the Seraphim, Dostya struggled to establish a perimeter. Rather than be overrun, I pushed forwards. Dostya ordered the destruction of the jamming device. The terrain provided some cover, and my stealth did the rest. By the time I reached the jamming device, Dosyta's position was under constant, heavy bombardment. She refused to abandon her base and drew their fire long enough for me to capture the jamming array and upload her tracking bug. Despite being guarded, I was able to break through undetected and began to subvert its systems. Then Hex5 appeared. Somehow, he had shielded himself from our sensors. From where I was, there was nothing I could do. Dostya ordered me to recall, and attempted to recall herself, but my infiltration was not complete. In spite of her stealth systems, she was overwhelmed. Hex5 didn't need to see her to blast the entire area. She sacrificed herself to buy me time.

With the jamming array under my control, it was within my power to prevent Thel-Uuthow, Hex5 and the other Seraphim from escaping. However, with only my ACU, I had no choice but to retreat. I set the array to overload, and made my way to the wreckage of Dostya's ACU. She hadn't even ejected. I saw Hex5 in the far, far distance. The Op was a failure. I never saw the Seraphim commanders, but as I recalled, the array, tied into the power generators, detonated and took out the main base behind me.


	23. 08-August-3847, Eridani

—Classified—

08-August-3847, Eridani

Personal Log: Private

Aiko hasn't exactly avoided me, but she hasn't made any attempt to reach me. I don't blame her. Dostya was one of the greatest enemies the UEF ever faced. It hasn't felt like two days. I know Father is prepping for a retaliatory strike. Rhiza has contacted me, saying that we will avenge Dostya's death. It was all I could do to nod. "Now is not the time for grief, Champion". I registered her stern words, but as soon as her voice faded, I returned to my thoughts.

Some time later, hours, maybe, Mathea walked in unannounced. She did not join me in my meditation, but simply observed from those cool, unblinking eyes of hers. "You need to eat." I think she knew I would not, but in the arts of interrogation, I knew her to be persuasive. I had no doubt this exercising of will extended beyond simple questioning. When I made no effort to rise, she continued, "We have decrypted the data from the device you uploaded." I didn't answer. "We have found QAI's mainframe. Hex5 is with it."

Her words were so calm, so measured, and so chilly in their finality. She said it so simply. Finally, I acknowledged her message, but remained as I was. She left. It was Aiko who brought me a meal some three hours later. I got the distinct impression Mathea's hand was behind it. Like all her lunches, these were an Aiko-speciality: white bread sandwiches minus the crust. I saw, to her surprise, I had not shed any tears. It did not matter that it should have been the evening meal. My knees had long stopped aching from being so cramped, but as she stood, the awkward silence grew. Before she could go, I gestured she join me. She placed the tray on the ground and sank beside me. Neither of us spoke a word, just munched listlessly. It was a shock to taste cucumber and peanut butter. It brought me to with a start, and I glanced at her. She offered a slight shrug. As we finished, I found myself ravenously hungry, and an uncontrollable urge to move. Aiko must have sensed it, because the next thing I knew, we were both on a run.

The stars outside were brighter and more beautiful than I could recall. I don't know for how long we ran. We stopped long enough to sip our canteens, and dab our brows, and we were off again. It was nearly dawn by the time we returned. It was only after Aiko had left me at my chamber did it occur to me how closely I was being monitored. Any other day and I would have left her at her chamber, or at the very least by her locker in her hanger bay workshop.

Thinking back on it, I understand that she and Thalia are beginning to get along. Thalia, who seems ever cheery in a brusque businesslike way, has been coordinating with her to recover and develop UEF schematics. It also occurred to me that I have not seen Celene in some time, but time has lost all meaning. Names and faces flash past me. Col. Arnold would tell me to get a grip, or pour me a stiff drink if he were still here. Clarke would tell me I was being sentimental and there's a war to be fought. Dostya would say the same. _"This is war, Commander, and we cannot let our enemies win."_

I still can't believe she's gone.


	24. 09-August-3847, Pearl II

09-August-3847, Pearl II

Personal Log: Encrypted

—Operation: Mind Games. Objective: Eliminate QAI and Hex5—

My orders are simple. A loyalist named Amalia is being held by Hex5. QAI will implant her like the others. Rhiza has asked that I intervene. Fletcher will join me and open up a second front after I clear QAI's forward bases. Once QAI is vulnerable and Hex5 has been eliminated, Father will join us and rid us of QAI once and for all.

All other commanders are occupied. Rhiza is already on Earth and is preparing to assault the rift. The Seraphim are building a Quantum Arch which is believed will stabilise the rift and allow more of them to pour through. The virus is almost ready. She has taken the crystals from Blue Sky and has been using them to mask her presence. With QAI occupied on multiple fronts, it is thought it will not expect a direct assault.

Hall believes we are on the cusp of victory. Once QAI falls, he claims, the way to Earth will be open. I am not convinced. We have lost so many. We are running out of pilots. My Princess assures me the end is drawing close. We will have victory. But at what cost?

[…]

Hex5. I thought of Dostya. That's all I could think of. The entire planet was controlled by QAI, but most of the defences were light. Along with a modified Aeon ACU, I gated to Amalia's internment. My ACU was not fully optimised, but the stealth systems were operational. The crysalis had been replaced, and Blue Sky's crystals had been installed. I was a ghost.

It didn't take long to overwhelm the guards, capture the facility and plant a virus. Unconcerned once Amalia was secure, QAI, true to form, had deployed its forces in a series of patterns, logical to its programming, but not to the terrain. If QAI had a weakness, it was its focus on its objectives and disregard of all else. It followed the most probable outcome. I do not understand why Father allowed it access to Seraphim technology secured from Orionis on 13-August-3844, only that the artefacts expanded QAI's capability beyond anything either of them anticipated. It was probably this that altered QAI's functions.

Having freed Amalia, who, like Mathea, had been implanted with an AI chip, I turned my attention to Hex5. Fletcher was prepared to gate in, but without my superior stealth capabilities, he would have been found and eliminated by patrols within moments of his arrival. Freeing Amalia, however, only served to direct QAI's attention, but the distraction ensured Hex5 dispatched patrols towards us. After uploading a modified Liberation Matrix into Amalia's chip, I issued coordinates and a strategy for her to follow.

As one of Rhiza's Loyalists, Amalia was versed in the tactics of asymmetrical warfare. Guerrilla strikes were nothing more than a nuisance to QAI, one that would be overlooked and given to Hex5 to deal with. As Amalia disappeared into the underbrush, I transmitted the self-destruct code to the prison facility and its surrounding turrets as Hex5's air assault flew overhead. Before the complex detonated under a hail of bombardment, the prison's comms uploaded the virus into Hex5's aircraft and I headed towards the traitor's primary base.

Amalia was physically uninjured, but her psychological state was another matter. She seemed to be more or less intact, and followed my instructions. As Thalia did on Copernicus, Amalia began construction on a series of concealed manufactories, hidden under a series of stealth pylons. Meanwhile, Hex5's aircraft scoured the winding hills and gullies for us in a standard Cybran search pattern. Unable to triangulate our position, he dispatched more and more aircraft as I drew closer towards his base. It was only due to Dostya's tracking bug that we had been able to determine Hex5 was operating within the area. Father had charged me with Hex5's termination. He had left the details up to me.

Hex5's base was heavily fortified. I rounded the hill line, and from my position, I surveyed the entirety of the base. A series of anti-air turrets formed a perimeter and guard bots roamed in various patrols. Set behind these were a front line of manufactories, and a second line of defensive turrets, and behind those were a series of generators, and further back sat the industrial core. To the east were a series of intel structures, and a command centre. Hex5's ACU seemed to be constructing more aircraft. Between the factories, engineering bots moved, aiding construction as their programming bid. There were four main entrances into the base, where the hills dipped enough to form mouths. Between these were several 'Monkeylord Spiderbots'. I will never know what possessed my father to codename these gigantic monstrosities such, but their primary cannon was the same as my ACU's microwave laser and during the War, they were the most feared of all father's creation.

From what I could tell, there were three sensor arrays on three hills, not including the sensor array at the command centre. By now, the virus had entered the sensor towers and with a single command, they were disabled. The command centre was now my primary objective. I walked through the base as if it were any other Cybran encampment, my cloak clouding optical sensors and their scanners registering nothing. Even if they had, they would have only seen ghosts.

Hex5 never saw me coming. As his ACU lumbered, I stalked, my sleeker Aeon frame more elegant than Father's design. I came behind him and targeted his logic array. He had announced his intentions to Dostya after she was surrounded. I afforded him no such luxury and unleashed a blast that triggered a cascade overload and paralysed him in his tracks. Then I triggered the virus' secondary function, triggering a surge in the sensor towers equivalent to a low-yield EMP blast. For a few seconds, everything slowed, then stopped. As my stealth changed its frequency, I began requisitioning the command centre. Time seemed to slow to an agonising crawl. Aware that QAI would detect the intrusion and deploy countermeasures, most likely sending a wave of bombers to raze the plateau rather than recapture it, I embraced the Way and felt my Princess was with me.

Hex5 could only watch helplessly as my unseen ACU gradually took possession of his Ops facility, and by extension, his entire base. The bombers were the priority. I turned them towards QAI's outlying bases, set apart from the mainframe. These delivered their terrible payload unchallenged, and then I turned my attention to the Spiderbots. It would take QAI a while to commandeer them once Hex5 was out of the picture. As the outlying bases went up in a series of mushroom clouds, I transmitted the all clear to Fletcher. Moving closer to Hex5's ACU, I remotely connected and hacked into his recall beacon, altering its destination. As Fletcher gated in, Hex5 was recalled to Eridani, where Aiko was waiting. As Fletcher arrived north of my position, I initialised the self-destruct in the base. QAI would not use the same method on us as we had on it.

[…]

Father arrived in person to deal with QAI. In his latest creation, a 'megabot' he has codenamed "Megalith", he made his way towards QAI's mainframe. Amalia's manufactories provided a screen of cover, engaging QAI's hastily constructed forces from his few remaining bases. Fletcher offered tactical support in typical UEF fashion.

An isle off to the west held an Order science and research facility, which Amalia managed hack into and to capture having taken an escorted transport. The Order had begun work on a prototype Galactic Colossus Sacred Assault Bot, but with the infighting, work had been abandoned. Amalia downloaded the schematics and reactivated the Colossus, sending it towards QAI's nodes.

In spite of QAI's vastness, the mobile jamming array in Father's Megalith prevented the monster from escaping, and its remaining nearby manufactories were overwhelmed.

I watched as Father put an end to his creation, accessing a backdoor even QAI did not know existed. Leaving Fletcher to secure the site, I gave Father a few moments to look at QAI's remains, then escorted him to the Gate Amalia had constructed, and looked on as he recalled. Amalia reported she had gathered all the research from the Order facility, before departing with her for home.


	25. 09-August-3847, Eridani

09-August-3847, Eridani

Personal Log: Encrypted

Dostya is avenged. It is what she would want, I think. But at what cost, what cost? Hex5 is under confinement, wishing, I am sure, for the prison of Commander Godwyn and his interrogation chamber. I will not concern myself with his fate. If he was acting under QAI's orders, if he had no say, Mathea will have the truth from him. If he was acting of his own accord, it will be worse for him, oh yes.

Father has obtained the Gate codes for Earth from QAI and has shared them with the Coalition. Rhiza has sent a summons for me. She has declared that our Princess has ordered the final strike. Hall agrees. We are to retake Earth, and seal the Rift. The Princess has foreseen that the Seraphim are building a 'Quantum Arch'. With it, they will be able to pour into our galaxy in untold number. The virus is not ready, but we are out of time, out of time.

I cannot accept what tomorrow will bring. Even my Princess' peace is not enough. I know what must be done; she has told me, but I cannot accept it. She tells me that there will be an end to war, for a time, that the gates will be destroyed, each world under its own rule, that I will have a place in this new order. Here on the edge of victory, she tells me not to doubt, but the price is too high. I feel her hand on my cheek, the ethereal press of her lips on my brow. Even as she soothes me, I writhe with anguish. Come tomorrow's eve, she will be gone.

[…]

Aiko paid me a visit. A reconciliation, a promise. This will soon be over; she has accepted my Princess' words. She will accompany me, as a Major and a friend. Our eyes locked, and then she smiled sadly. Finally, she asked the question that had been plaguing her since I fired Black Sun.

"Why'd you pull me through the gate?"

I had no words, not at first. As she sat facing me, cross-legged in her dark blue slacks, I foraged for an answer. Finally, I told her just as quietly that she did not deserve to die. That she was a fine officer. That I believed, hoped, she would make a Sword of the Way.

At first, anger flashed, then silence, cold, then thoughtful, and finally, she asked, "Is that all?"

I couldn't tear myself away from her steady stare, couldn't bear to look at her. Then she pushed herself to her feet. "When you've decided, let me know." Her words were only slightly cold.

"I couldn't let you die." I told her back quietly as she froze in the doorway. "You would have been overwhelmed. There were too many of them. So many dead already. I knew you'd hate me. Knew Father and Dostya would hate me. I had to, for all of us. To stop Marxon cleansing the galaxy. But sparing you? That I could do. If only…"

She didn't say anything, but seemed to nod to herself ever so slightly. Then she straightened. "08:30, Colonel. Get some rest; I'll see you in the hanger."

Then she was gone, the words caught in my throat.

[…]

Thalia visited me next, bright and cheery eyed as ever, though her mouth was grim. They had extracted the truth from Hex5, but I chose not to hear it. His remains had been handed over to Father for dissection and his implants would not doubt be analysed at length. Amalia would recover, thanks to my work on my own implants and on Mathea's chip, she informed me, then looked at me critically and told me that Rhiza would want to see me, so I should rest while I could. Celene was in council with her, as were Hall and Fletcher. Then she smiled, and left, just as Mathea approached and waited for Thalia to leave.

Her eyes were as cool as ever, and her features were smooth and still. I wasn't sure what she wanted, but I was exhausted. "The Princess will name a new Avatar, Champion." From the way she regarded me, I wasn't entirely sure what to think. "You have done well, better than anyone could have expected."

I wished she would get to the point.

"We will have need of guidance once she is gone."

The Way's peace eluded me.

"There will be no more need for a Champion after this."

"There won't be any wars left."

"An Avatar of Peace. Harmony to you, Champion."

"Rhiza…"

"Is a Crusader. Think on it. The Illuminate has need of you."

"And you? Will you become an Evaluator?"

"If the Princess wishes it."

I shook my head. "When this is over–"

"You have sworn yourself to her, as have we all, and you will uphold her will."

"Yes…" I all but whispered, remembering Arnold's last transmission.

[…]

That night, I heard my Princess' voice in my dreams. She spoke of much, revealing her hopes for the future and sharing silence, just sitting beside me. She told me not to blame myself for what had passed or what was to come. I had done all that she asked, and I would not waver now. When I woke, I would remember shapes, images, feelings, but her words would be ingrained within my cortex, rising up for when I needed them. After the gates were gone, war would never occur on the same scale again.

I wanted to ask about Kael, but couldn't find the words. The only image I remember vividly was Rhiza.


	26. — Report Ends —

10-August-3847, Earth

Personal Log: Encrypted

It's been almost four years since I fired Black Sun. 24-September-3844 was when the new war began, the Rift war. It's been that long since I last set foot on Earth. Father intended me to lead and guide the Cybran, to rule them and he would finally rest. My Princess turned me from that course. So many are dead. Now the final push begins. We strike at the arch.

Amalia and Aiko are with me. Celene has another mission: she will lead the assault against Kael's stronghold and put an end to the Order of the Illuminate. Thalia has gone with her. The Order is in anarchy, and there will never be a better time to strike. Hall agrees, and has sent Fletcher ahead of me. Together, along with Rhiza, we will secure Black Sun and destroy the arch.

[…]

This may be my last entry. Everything hinges on this. If we fail, the Seraphim will swarm through. We will not fail, my Princess assures me. I believe her. All she has said has come true, but after this? How will I manage without her guiding hand, her presence? What if the Seraphim should return? I have tried so hard to embrace the Way, striven to please her. I feel her smile and gentle chiding words; the Way is not about strife. All my experiences have led me to this one point, this place where everything changed. I do not know if I am up to the task, but I feel the shades of the dead weighing on me. Col. Arnold, General Clarke, Mach, Jericho, Marxon, Dostya. Aiko and Amalia look to me. Earth is ruined, but Humanity holds its breath. There is no more time. We gate in 00:05.

[…]

—Operation: Overlord. Objective: Destroy the Arch—

I barely recognise the landscape. It is blackened and the land is pocketed with craters. The radiation levels are the highest I've ever seen. Rhiza and Fletcher have set up forward bases, Fletcher to the north and Rhiza to the west. An Order Commander naming herself 'Vendetta' has taken up position on an island below Rhiza, and Thel-Uuthow occupies a position on the peninsular parallel to Vendetta's base. Fletcher's aircraft and naval units have driven the Seraphim back, but he will soon recover. A second Seraphim base surrounds the Rift. With Rhiza tied up with Vendetta, I have a limited window to act.

Hall believes I should occupy the northern point of the peninsular and drive south. Father simply wishes, "Be safe, my child, be safe." I know what Col. Arnold would do, but I'm no longer a rookie, and the traditional stratagems of the Aeon, UEF and Cybran no longer constrain me. There had to be a way to avert this. My Princess had raised the question 'What if they are constructing an Arch on the other side of the Rift?'. Hall wanted to wait, to give the techs 'a little more time'.

I couldn't let her sacrifice herself, not a second time.

[…]

Amalia and Aiko have begun constructing a base off the isle south of Black Sun. The western and southern isles both saw Aeon forces seize them in the final hours before the War ended. Mach held the peninsular Hall ordered I take. Aiko has informed me that 'Option Zero' is still active and is linked to the old Black Sun Control Centre. Dropships carrying assault bots, engineers, and mobile shield and mobile stealth emitters and interceptor escort have been dispatched to capture it.

Amalia has set about reinforcing the base while I have begun work on a gate. The Seraphim have dispatched interceptor and bomber wings, but Aiko's manufactories have begun pumping out interceptors of our own. It will not be long until the gate is finished.

[…]

I have arranged that components of the recovered Seraphim bomber be dispatched. Father has used QAI's databanks to recover the schematics. On all Coalition controlled worlds not immediately engaged with the Order, the parts are being produced and have been since Father first laid his hands on the intact bomber. Once the parts arrive, assembly should be in short order.

[…]

We have captured Black Sun's Control Centre. I cannot believe Riley was mad enough to want to use this thing against the people of Earth. The Seraphim have no doubt constructed anti-strategic warhead defences. I have finished construction on a second gate and begun work on a third. Amalia has finished fortifying the isle and has begun work on assembly of the bombers. The engineers are working on strategic missile defences of our own, and Aiko is busy constructing a flotilla of naval and air units.

[…]

The Arch is almost finished. There is little time left. I have welded Cybran mobile stealth emitters to the Seraphim bombers. Their wingspan alone is greater than twice the length of a Galactic Colossus Sacred Assault Bot. I have dispatched a set of interceptors to draw their fighters, and Cybran stealth bombers to target their sensors. They will never see their own units coming.

[…]

Fletcher has turned on us. He calls us 'monsters' and 'freaks' and means to take Black Sun for himself. Rhiza is furious, and Hall is beside himself. I am… calm. The Princess warned me to be wary of Fletcher, though I cannot say when. A dream. It is of little consequence. The control centre is secure, and Thel-Uuthow blocks Fletcher's advance. The forces of the second base Aiko and Amalia are dealing with, but most of their resources must be focused on the Arch's construction.

Vendetta's glee at Fletcher's betrayal will be short lived. The first of the sensor arrays have fallen, and three Seraphim bombers are en route.

[…]

Thel-Uuthow is trapped, cut off from the Arch. Aiko's dropships have landed, and her assault bots march on his southern flank. The third Seraphim bomber has been assigned a new target. I have ordered ramming commanders. Should Vendetta's ACU avoid the blast, the loss of her Quantum Reactor will leave her defenceless and Rhiza's bombers will move in.

Incomplete or not, the virus has been loaded onto Option Zero's warhead. It's time to end this.

[…]

There is nothing left of the Arch. The two remaining Seraphim bombers have targeted Fletcher. He has refused orders to stand down, claiming Hall sold the UEF out. Aiko and Rhiza can deal with him. I have launched the warhead at the Rift.

[…]

My Princess. I did all I could to forestall the vision you saw. You still entered and sealed the Rift…

[…]

Harmony to you, Champion. My Avatar.

— End of Report —


End file.
